Coalition AgainstInsurance Fraud

Oh, Shoot!

How desperate (or dumb?) do you have to be to get a buddy toshoot you in the leg in order to file a workers' compensationclaim? That's what Pierre Lamont Taylor did while working for UPSin Baltimore. He and his cousin, Joseph Francis Brooks, got theidea one day while watching television. Brooks shot Taylor to stagea robbery. UPS' insurer Liberty Mutual paid out a coolquarter million to Taylor, who shared his payday with his cohort.Everything was fine until a friend spilled the beans to Marylandstate police.

The judge called Taylor's con "one of the dumbest things" he'dever seen, but still only handed him five years suspended.

Play Hard, Work Hard

June Ann Lucena fell hard because she played hard. The formerFolsom (Calif.) prison guard tumbled nearly 20 feet from a guardtower. She retired, claiming a constant pain in her back, head,neck, shoulder and leg made work impossible. Lucena collected morethan $170,000 in taxpayer-funded workers' compensation money.

So why was she frolicking on a water slide and piloting a JetSki? Surveillance video saw everything, and the jury was notamused. Lucena received seven years in state prison, one of thestiffest sentences of its kind in California history.

Busted by TV

Interior designer Ronald Hunt had designs on some workers'compensation money. The Los Angeles man collected nearly $150,000from a supposed work injury while earning about $400,000 sprucingup homes. But Hunt couldn't quietly lie low while stealing the compmoney. He made a splashy appearance on the Home & Garden cableTV program, and an employee of the insurer recognized him. Huntreceived 200 hours of community service.

No Hero Here

Mark Vrilo quickly fell from war hero to comp zero. ThePortland, Ore. firefighter said he hurt his back during a trainingexercise just four months into his career. He left work andcollected tens of thousands of dollars in workers' compensationmoney, then went to the Iraq war theater as a medic.

But he was busted when his local newspaper, TheOregonian, published a photo of Vrilo carrying anIraqi soldier on a stretcher. On top of faking a severe injury, hewasn't even hurt on the job; a car crash caused most of his backproblems. Vrilo received two months in prison and was ordered torepay $40,000.

Showtime!

Whimpering in pain and needing help from his wife just to standup from his wheelchair, John Belcher put on a convincing show forhis workers' compensation insurer. He said he was hurt at a jobsite in Lewiston, Idaho. He received a $70,000 settlement andwanted his wife to receive another $50,000 a year to stay home fromwork and care for him.

However, surveillance video caught Belcher doing yard work,washing car windows and even putting up a Christmas tree. He andhis wife were convicted.

What a Drag

Garrett Dalton dressed for stress. The New Haven, Conn. man saidhe hurt his back while lifting a box of toilet paper and soap atthe correctional facility where he worked. He hauled in $5,000 inworkers' compensation money until pop singer Hannah Montana causedhis downfall -- more or less.

Dalton wanted tickets to her concert in the worst way. So thesupposedly semi-cripple donned a dress, woman's wig and high heels,then ran a 40-yard dash while carrying a spoon with an egg. It waspart of a radio station's promo event for tickets to a HannahMontana concert.

But just his dumb luck -- a photo of Dalton racing in full dragappeared in the local newspaper the next day. In more dumb luck, asupervisor recognized him in the photo. He'll have to work hard toexplain his way out of the mess.

James Quiggle is director of communications atthe Coalition Against Insurance Fraud.