Columbus, OH – Miguel Santoni (formerly of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County) pleaded guilty April 17 to a fifth-degree felony count of workers’ compensation fraud for working while receiving Temporary Total Disability benefits for a prior workplace injury.
An allegation was received that Santoni filed a new workers’ compensation claim while receiving disability benefits from one of his prior workers’ compensation claims, according to the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Special Investigations Department (SID). Injured workers are not permitted to work while receiving temporary total disability benefits.
Santoni was indicted in September 2011 on charges of workers’ compensation fraud and theft. After the indictment, it was determined that that he was living in Puerto Rico. BWC’s SID agents worked with the United States Marshals Service to coordinate his arrest. He was arrested Jan. 29 in Puerto Rico and extradited to Franklin County, Ohio.
On April 17, Santoni was convicted of the fifth-degree felony count of workers’ compensation fraud. He was sentenced to serve 90 days in jail and ordered to pay restitution to the BWC in the amount of $5,140.09.
Source: Ohio BWC SID