PA Man Arrested For Collecting WC Benefits While Soliciting

Harrisburg, PA (CompNewsNetwork) - A Bucks County man was arrested today following allegations that he filed for and collected workers' compensation benefits, while continuing to solicit and conduct business as a contractor.

Attorney General Tom Corbett identified the defendant as William Thomson, 35, 632 Newport Road, Apartment 6, Bristol, Bucks County.

Corbett said that Thomson collected more than $68,500 in workers' compensation benefits after claiming that a November 2008 work-related back injury prevented him from working.  Thomson had been employed by Ace Design in Bristol.

According to the criminal complaint, at the same time that Thomson was collecting worker's compensation benefits, claiming that he was unable to work, he was advertising and doing work as a contractor under the name "Ceiling to Basement Repairs."

Agents believe that Thomson did home improvement work as well as landscaping and snow removal for an apartment complex.

Corbett said that on Sept. 2, 2009, Thomson was asked to complete "Verification of Employment" forms in order to continue receiving his worker's compensation payments.  On those forms, Thomson was asked "are you now employed?" and "have you ever been employed or self-employed at any time while receiving worker's compensation benefits?"  Thomson answered "no" to each of those questions.

The charges state that in addition to his suspected workers' compensation fraud, Thomson also stole $3,000 from an elderly man.

According to the criminal complaint, Thomson installed a small patio roof on the gentleman's home during the summer of 2009. Thomson allegedly quoted the customer $800 for the project.

Corbett said that Thomson allegedly accompanied the elderly gentlemen to the bank and altered the victim's withdrawal slip to read $3,800 instead of $800.

Thomson is charged with three counts of workers' compensation fraud, two counts of theft by deception and one count of insurance fraud. Each count is a third degree felony and carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine.

Corbett said that Thomson was preliminarily arraigned before Bristol Magisterial District Judge Wagner. He was lodged in the Bucks County Prison in lieu of $250,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 4, 2010.

The case will be prosecuted in Bucks County by Senior Deputy Attorney General Robert LaBar of the Attorney General's Insurance Fraud Section.