Columbus, OH – A Ross County prison guard must pay the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation nearly $6,000 in restitution after investigators found him working while collecting injured workers’ benefits.
Jason E. Chamberlin of Kingston, about 11 miles northeast of Chillicothe, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of workers’ compensation fraud Jan. 12 in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.
BWC’s Special Investigations Department (SID) got a tip in 2015 that Chamberlin might be working after a representative from a managed care organization called him at home and was told he was at work. The investigation revealed Chamberlin knowingly returned to work at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution while receiving temporary total disability benefits. He failed to notify BWC that he returned to work and he continued to withdraw payments from his BWC debit card.
A judge sentenced Chamberlin to 180 days in jail, but suspended the jail term for five years probation. The probation could terminate sooner if Chamberlin pays full restitution, $5,918, in less time.
Source: Ohio BWC SID