Baton Rouge, LA – Derrick Dupuy, owner of Slidell-based Northshore Palms Unlimited LLC, and John Uhr, an agent with Broadway Insurance Agency in Fair Lawn, N.J., were arrested last week on counts of workers’ compensation fraud following investigations by the Louisiana Workforce Commission’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration (OWCA).
Agents of the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office arrested Dupuy on Oct. 20 after the OWCA referred the case for criminal investigation. Investigators say Dupuy willfully failed to provide workers’ compensation insurance to employees and failed to pay their medical bills. After an employee was injured and discovered the company did not have workers’ compensation coverage, the employee filed suit against Dupuy. A workers’ compensation judge ordered Dupuy to pay approximately $61,900 in unpaid indemnity benefits, medical bills, mileage reimbursement, legal fees and other penalties. He was booked on the fraud count at the St. Tammany Parish prison.
Uhr was arrested on Oct. 22, accused of the theft of more than $2,000. Uhr allegedly collected premium payments from a Louisiana employer to be applied toward the purchase of a workers’ compensation policy. Investigators said Uhr failed to apply the money to the policy purchase, then led the employer to believe the policy was in place. He surrendered to attorney general’s agents and was booked in Jefferson Parish.
The Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration is committed to ensuring a fair and equitable workers’ compensation system in Louisiana by referring criminal cases involving possible workers’ compensation fraud to the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office for further investigation.