Women unemployed at time of injury pleads guilty to comp fraud

A Columbus, Ohio. woman pleaded guilty to workers’ compensation fraud after filing three false claims while unemployed since 2012, telling investigators she needed medical treatment she could not afford, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation said.

Shardette Nyarko, 36, pleaded guilty to a first-degree misdemeanor charge of workers compensation fraud in the Franklin County, Ohio, Court of Common Pleas on Aug. 1. A judge fined her $100 and subsequently suspended her fine, according to the bureau.

Investigators reportedly discovered Ms. Nyarko’s fraudulent claims last year while conducting a routine review of disallowed injury claims. They found that she filed a false claim in April 2016 and two in 2012, stating in her claims that she was at work at the time of her injuries. However, investigators determined she was not employed at the time she said she was injured.