Oh, Shoot!

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

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

Play Hard, Work Hard

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

So why was she frolicking on a water slide and piloting a Jet Ski? Surveillance video saw everything, and the jury was not amused. Lucena received seven years in state prison, one of the stiffest 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 $150,000 from a supposed work injury while earning about $400,000 sprucing up homes. But Hunt couldn't quietly lie low while stealing the comp money. He made a splashy appearance on the Home & Garden cable TV program, and an employee of the insurer recognized him. Hunt received 200 hours of community service.

No Hero Here

Mark Vrilo quickly fell from war hero to comp zero. The Portland, Ore. firefighter said he hurt his back during a training exercise just four months into his career. He left work and collected tens of thousands of dollars in workers' compensation money, then went to the Iraq war theater as a medic.

But he was busted when his local newspaper, The Oregonian, published a photo of Vrilo carrying an Iraqi soldier on a stretcher. On top of faking a severe injury, he wasn't even hurt on the job; a car crash caused most of his back problems. Vrilo received two months in prison and was ordered to repay $40,000.

Showtime!

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

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

What a Drag

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

Dalton wanted tickets to her concert in the worst way. So the supposedly 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 was part of a radio station's promo event for tickets to a Hannah Montana concert.

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

James Quiggle is director of communications at the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud.

Special Reports /

Fraud in 2010 - We Remember It Well

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