Mass. judge throws book at injury case perjurer

Worcester (Massachusetts) Superior Court Judge Francis Fecteau has sentenced a Templeton man to two and one-half years for committing perjury in a workers’ compensation claim proceeding at the Department of Industrial Accidents.

The judge also ordered the man to read the book “Integrity” by author Stephen Carter and write a 1,000-word essay.

The man was found guilty of forging a document to show he had provided employees with safety goggles.

Koren was owner of now-defunct Wood Technology Inc. in Gardner. In July 1998, an employee at Wood Technology sustained a serious eye injury. The employee filed a claim for workers’ compensation benefits but it was denied, and the employee subsequently sued the DIA.

One of the issues before the DIA was whether Wood Technology provided its employees with safety glasses. In proceedings before the DIA, Koren argued that he had provided safety glasses before the accident. In support of his position, Koren submitted an apparent invoice from a safety supply products company which was dated July 28, 1997.

However, the employee’s attorney obtained evidence which demonstrated that the 1997 invoice was forged.