Judge Tells Washington Woman to Repay $25K in Workers’ Comp Scam

A Washington woman injured in a robbery at her workplace pleaded guilty this week to felony theft.

Yurizan Cuevas, 33, of Federal Way, reportedly worked full time as a nanny while claiming she was too disabled to work

Cuevas was ordered to repay the Department of Labor & Industries $24,847. That’s the amount she reportedly received in wage-replacement payments over a period of nearly two years.

King County Superior Court Judge Bruce Heller also sentenced Cuevas to 20 days in jail, which was converted to 160 hours of community service.

Cuevas was a baker and cashier at a cafe in the White Center neighborhood of Seattle when it was robbed in November 2010. While running from the robber, she hit a wall and injured her back.

Healthcare providers verified Cuevas couldn’t work because of injuries from the incident, allowing her to receive wage-replacement payments from L&I.

An L&I investigation later found that Cuevas worked as a nanny for nearly two years while stating on official forms that she was unable to work because of her injuries.

“Workers’ compensation is intended to help employees heal from on-the-job injuries so they can return to work,” Annette Taylor, deputy assistant director in L&I’s Fraud Prevention & Labor Standards, said in a statement. “People like Ms. Cuevas who try to game the system are cheating their employers and fellow employees.

The Washington Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case based on an L&I investigation.