N.D. Man Gets 1 Year for Workers’ Comp Fraud

A Berthold, N.D., man was sentenced to serve a year in the Ward County Jail and ordered to pay $5,618 in fines and restitution after pleading guilty to charges of filing false workers’ compensation claims, according to the North Dakota Department of Insurance.

William Jones, 48, was sentenced Nov. 14 by District Court Judge Robert Holte to serve one year in the Ward County Jail with the one year suspended for a period of one year.

Jones will be on unsupervised probation for a period of a year, conditioned on Jones paying Workforce Safety & Insurance $5,243 in restitution and $375 in fines and fees to the court.

Charges were originally filed against Jones by Workforce Safety & Insurance in February 2002, with the warrant served on Jones in June of this year.

In the original complaint, Workforce Safety & Insurance determined that Jones had “willfully made false statements” on his Injured Worker Status Reports and willfully made false statements regarding his physical abilities or work abilities and income to WSI and medical care providers. His workers’ compensation benefits were terminated in December 2001 and a complaint was filed in Ward County District Court in February of 2002. WSI was tipped off about Jones through the fraud hotline. Anyone wishing to report suspected workers’ compensation fraud may call (800) 243-3331 or visit www.workforcesafety.com.