Columbus, OH – A Franklin County man pleaded guilty to one count of workers’ compensation fraud while receiving over $34,000 in benefits from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC).
Donald Roth pleaded guilty to the fifth-degree felony on Nov. 17, 2022, in a Franklin County courtroom. The judge ordered Roth to pay the outstanding restitution to BWC of $30,793.26, after $4,005.28 was previously recouped, and sentenced him to five years of community control.
The Columbus Special Investigations Unit (SIU) opened an investigation after it was revealed Donald Roth was linked to a business named Wet Wash Window Cleaning LLC. The investigation proved Roth was actively working at his business and receiving BWC disability benefits between Feb. 2019 and Feb. 2021.
The investigation consisted of multiple surveillances, including videos of Roth washing windows and climbing ladders without any apparent injury, but when he went to a BWC scheduled exam, he used a cane. The investigation proved Roth, with fraudulent intent, concealed this employment to collect benefits to which he would not have been entitled.
If Roth violates the terms of his probation, he is subject to a suspended sentence of 12 months in jail.
Source: Ohio BWC