LA. WOMAN FACES COMP CHARGES:

A Vernon Parish, Louisiana woman has been arrested on charges of workers’ compensation fraud. Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti, Jr. said 27-year-old Georgianna Smith of Anacoco, manipulated the system to fraudulently obtain nearly $60,000 in workers’ comp benefits, medical and other expenses. She was arrested on one count of misrepresentation concerning workers’ comp benefits and one count of theft in excess of $500. Smith claimed to have suffered a disabling back injury on the job in March 2001. She reportedly did not reveal any previous injuries on an employment questionnaire in 2000. An investigation into her 2001 claim revealed that she had been treated for lower back injuries suffered during an automobile accident in 1998. Because she did not report her previous injuries, Smith fraudulently collected $29,412 in workers’ comp benefits; $13,935 in temporary total indemnity benefits; $14,662 in medical expenses; and $814 in rehabilitation expenses, the AG’s office said.