A San Diego man was sentenced to 180 days in jail after he tried to get his employer to pay him workers' compensation for preexisting injuries.

Ramon Romo, a shipyard worker, was also ordered to pay more than $25,000 in restitution to his employer in addition to $680 in fines.

On June 6, 2005, Romo fractured his thumb while on the job, and filed a workers' compensation claim with his employer, NASSCO, a ship-building company in California. Several months later, he added claims for back, neck, and right shoulder injuries, claiming the injuries occurred at the same time as his thumb injury. In Dec. 2005, Romo testified under oath that his additional injuries were not preexisting. He repeated this claim during a qualified medical exam.

Romo was videotaped lifting and carrying heavy materials including sheetrock and insulation on two separate occasions in June 2006. He was also seen carrying a young child. However, in Oct. 2006, Romo told his medical examiner that he was unable to lift his two year-old child, and any objects in excess of 20 pounds.

California Department of Insurance (CDI) Fraud Division investigators also discovered that Romo had filed a workers' compensation claim for neck and back injuries in 1998 with his previous employer, Airline Interiors. Because of his injuries at that time, he reached a settlement in March 2003 and received $26,000 for his injuries.

As a result of this investigation by CDI, NASSCO, and the San Diego District Attorney's Office, Romo pled guilty to one count of insurance fraud, and on May 21 was ordered to pay almost $26,000 in restitution to his employer.

Special Reports /

Fraud of the Week: Spurious Shipyard Scam

Related Stories

Recommended For You