Columbus, OH (WorkersCompensation.com) - The owner of a Mansfield freight hauling and trucking company must pay $144,400 in restitution to the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) following his sentence Monday for his conviction on four felony charges related to workers' compensation fraud.

A Richland County judge also ordered Robert Tate, owner of Elite TNT Enterprises, to serve two years of probation for his conviction Feb. 20 on two counts of workers' comp fraud, fourth-degree felonies, and two counts of tampering with records, third-degree felonies. Tate must bring his BWC policy into compliance with state law and pay the agency $137,447 in unpaid policy premiums and $6,953 for the costs of its investigation.

“We reached out to Mr. Tate several times to follow the law and protect his employees with workers' compensation coverage, but he chose to ignore us and it cost him,” said BWC Administrator/CEO Stephanie McCloud.

BWC's special investigations department discovered in 2017 that Tate was operating his business without BWC coverage. After several attempts to work with Tate, agents subpoenaed bank records and audited his business, finding Tate under-reported his payroll over several payroll periods in an attempt to lower the amount he owed the agency. They also found he falsified new applications for BWC coverage by failing to list previous policies with the agency and he under-reported the number of workers he employed.

In other news:

• A Reynoldsburg woman must pay BWC $5,010 in restitution after pleading guilty April 4 to a misdemeanor count of workers' compensation fraud. BWC investigators discovered Amanda Treadway working as a swimming pool attendant at a condominium complex in 2017 and also as a phlebotomist while collecting BWC disability benefits.
• A Cincinnati man found working as a truck driver while collecting BWC disability benefits was convicted of a fifth-degree felony charge of workers' compensation fraud April 3. Antoine Harris paid BWC $7,963 in restitution prior to his guilty plea. A judge subsequently terminated Harris's sentence of one month of probation.
• A Cleveland Heights woman found working as a restaurant hostess while collecting BWC disability benefits pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of workers' compensation fraud March 28 in Franklin County Municipal Court. A judge ordered Morgan Hines to pay BWC $4,089 in restitution, $88 in court costs and a $250 fine. The judge also sentenced her to two years of probation.
• BWC has reinstated the policy of a Columbus day care center after the owner paid the $9,442 he owed the agency in back premiums. Ali Ismail, owner of Helpful Hands Children's Centers, pleaded guilty March 20 to a misdemeanor count of failure to comply.

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