Ex-Alaska Worker Charged With Workers’ Comp Fraud

Article

A former Alaska state employee and his supposed masseuse are accused of worker’s compensation fraud.

Scott A. Groom and Laurayne K. Fischer are charged with 93 counts including perjury, theft and falsification of business records. The two are currently living in Wisconsin, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

According to prosecutors, Groom and Fischer defrauded the State of Alaska out of more than $20,000 of worker’s comp benefits.

Prosecutors said Groom was an operator at a state Department of Transportation weigh station when he was injured on the job in 1999. Years later, Groom settled a worker’s compensation claim with the state for $201,500. As part of the settlement, the state agreed to pay for medical treatment.

Groom allegedly said he was getting massage treatment from Fischer that was paid by the state.

Prosecutors said Groom never got massage treatment from Fischer as claimed and that the two submitted fraudulent workers’ compensation reimbursement and later lied about it.

If convicted, Groom and Fischer face sentences of up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $100,000.