WASHINGTON — A Skagit County farmhand is facing felony theft charges for allegedly taking more than $122,000 in workers’ compensation payments for several years while he was actually working another job.
According to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), Efrain Alatorre Camarena, 58, allegedly claimed he was too injured to work following an “on-the-job accident with a runaway cow.”
An L&I investigation found that Camarena was actually working at another dairy farm in 2020 for at least three and a half years without telling the department, all the while collecting workers’ comp.
While he was at another farm, he earned over $172,000 in three and a half years while also collecting over $122,000 in workers’ comp, according to L&I.
L&I said Camarena fell and hurt his back and neck in 2006 in a similar incident-- they said he fell chasing a runaway cow. A doctor signed off saying he couldn’t work due to the on-the-job injuries. He apparently received L&I payments for that injury for five and a half years.
“Camarena also regularly signed official documents stating he was not working because of the injuries, one of the requirements to receive payments to replace part of his lost wages.
He has been charged with first-degree theft.
A warrant for his arrest remains active. A judge issued the warrant after he failed to appear at his arraignment last week.
“When injured workers are dishonest with us about whether they can work, or if they are secretly working, they’re taking money away from real injured workers who need it,” said Celeste Monahan, L&I’s assistant director of Fraud Prevention and Labor Standards. “We care about helping injured workers, so we take fraud seriously. If you’re stealing from the system, we will catch you and make sure you face the consequences.”
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