SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. — A Skagit County dairy worker who falsely claimed he was too “injured to work” has pleaded guilty to illegally taking workers’ compensation payments.
The 58-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of third-degree theft, which are misdemeanors.
A Skagit County Superior Court judge ordered him to repay the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) over $140,000, which includes the $122,000 he stole plus interest.
The man was also sentenced to 160 hours of community service and two years on probation.
What happened
In 2006, the man injured his neck and back when he fell while chasing a runaway cow at a Skagit County dairy farm where he was working.
A doctor determined he couldn’t work because of his on-the-job injuries. In addition, the man regularly signed official documents stating he was not working because of the injuries. One of the requirements to receive payments is to replace part of his lost wages.
He received the wage replacement benefits off and on for a total of nine years, according to L&I. The charges applied only to the final three years.
In 2023, L&I investigators conducting a routine comparison of L&I and state Employment Security Department (ESD) data discovered he was working despite telling L&I that he wasn’t able to. The ESD records, along with paystubs from another Skagit County dairy, revealed he had been working at the farm while he was receiving wage-replacement payments, charging papers said.
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