State orders Seattle man to repay $30,000 in fraud case
TUMWATER - The state has ordered a 43-year-old Seattle man to pay back more than $30,000 after an investigation showed that he collected workers' compensation benefits illegally for more than a year.
The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) ordered Turner Bordeaux-Yarbrough to repay $20,029 in benefits collected fraudulently from May 4, 1998 through April 5, 1999. State law allows for an additional 50 percent penalty, bringing the repayment order to $30,043.
Bordeaux-Yarbrough was receiving workers' compensation benefits for a March 5, 1998 on-the-job injury he sustained while working as a truck driver for Sanitary Transportation Inc. of Seattle.
An agency claims manager discovered the fraud when Bordeaux-Yarbrough filed a new claim for an alleged injury in May 1999.
An investigation showed Bordeaux-Yarbrough had been working as a truck driver for another company while he was receiving workers' compensation benefits. During that period, Bordeaux-Yarbrough contended he was not working and eligible for benefits.
Labor & Industries manages the state's workers' compensation system. It provides coverage for about 160,000 employers and 1.8 million workers.
Anyone who suspects fraudulent activity may report it anonymously to L&I by calling 360-902-5153 or online at fraud.lni.wa.gov.
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