Dive Brief:

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday announced fraud and other charges against two siblings who run a Los Angeles construction company, claiming the two are responsible for at least $6 million in losses to the State Compensation Insurance Fund. One charge alone allegedly resulted in a $500,000 loss to the state fund.

Authorities allege that from Jan. 1, 2012, through March 31, 2017, Enrique Vera, owner of Ultimate, Inc., and his sister, office manager Gloria Vera, falsified the payroll records they submitted to the state fund in order to avoid paying the proper amount of workers’ compensation insurance premium; discouraged injured workers from making workers’ compensation claims and pursuing the associated benefits; and paid less than the prevailing wage on a student housing project at the University of California, Los Angeles. Gloria Vera was also charged with trying to hide employees’ workplace injuries.

The two Veras face a total of nine counts of felony workers’ compensation fraud, three counts of felony insurance fraud and six counts of felony grand theft of labor. Enrique Vera is subject to a maximum state prison sentence of 15 years if convicted, while Gloria Vera could receive a sentence of up to 19 years.

Dive Insight:

Workers’ compensation premiums, depending on how risky the trade, can be very expensive. Typically premiums are a certain dollar amount per $100 of payroll. For example, according to the latest California workers’ compensation rate comparison, the base premium for a roofer, one of the most dangerous construction jobs, making less than $23 per hour, range from $24.34 to $80.81. That’s in addition to state and federal payroll obligations. The highest rates usually take effect after a contractor has had a few workers’ compensation claims or if the company has not been in business very long and not yet established an experience record.

Read further: https://www.constructiondive.com/news/california-contractors-pegged-in-alleged-6m-fraud/541141/

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