Comp scammers more daring or just dumber?
How desperate (or dumb?) do you have to be to get a buddy to shoot you in the leg in order to file a workers comp claim? That’s what Pierre Lamont Taylor did while working for UPS in Baltimore. He and his cousin, Joseph Francis Brooks, got the idea one day while watching television. Brooks shot Taylor to stage a robbery. UPS’ insurer paid out a cool quarter million to Taylor who shared his payday with his cohort and everything was fine until a friend spilled the beans to Maryland state police.
Brooks was sentenced last week by a judge who said the scheme by the pair “ranks as one of the dumbest things” he’s seen in all his years as a lawyer, prosecutor and judge.
Recent workers comp scams have become more brazen, dumb and sometimes violent. A handful are detailed in this month’s web feature highlighting prominent and interesting cases. Some are laughable, some sad, but all hurt the integrity of this needed line of insurance, as this month’s article concludes:
People who defraud the workers comp system — whether they’re workers, employers or medical providers — increase already expensive insurance premiums on businesses, many of which already are on the edge of solvency. This prevents them from expanding their businesses and hiring new employees — something this nation desperately needs right now. Workers comp fraud also is an affront to the truly injured workers and makes it harder for them to get the compensation they deserve.
