Rocky Hill, CT – A Northford woman was recently arrested and charged with collecting more than $280,000 in Workers’ Compensation benefits for an injury that supposedly left her unable to work when in fact she continued to run a business in Meriden.
BRENDA J. SHULER, age 62, of 51 Holly Mar Hill Road, Northford, was charged with one count each of Workers’ Compensation Fraud, Perjury, and Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Shuler received Workers’ Compensation benefits for an on-the-job injury that she reported suffering in November 2003 that left her unable to continue working as a nurse at the Regency House nursing home in Wallingford.
An investigation revealed that Shuler owned and managed Sistas Salon and Spa in Meriden during the time she was receiving Workers’ Compensation, the warrant states, and did not report her earnings from Sistas despite the fact records showed she earned more than $96,000 in one year.
Shuler collected more than $282,000 in Workers’ Compensation from November 2003 through March 2010. The benefits are to provide assistance to those who are unable to work because of an injury sustained on the job.
Shuler was arrested by Inspectors from the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Bureau of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney. She was released on a non-surety bond and will be arraigned in Superior Court at G.A. No. 7, Meriden, on October 1, 2013.
Workers’ Compensation Fraud is a class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a $15,000 fine; Perjury is a class D felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine, and Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community, a class B felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine.
The charges are merely accusations and Shuler is presumed innocent unless and until found guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by the Workers’ Compensation Fraud Control Bureau.
Source: CT Division of Criminal Justice