Texas Business Owner Pleads Guilty To Workers’ Compensation Fraud

Last week the owner of a South Texas truck stop pleaded guilty in a Travis County District Court to workers’ compensation fraud and was ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution.

James Russell Williams owns George West Truck Stop. On April 4, 2014, the husband of one of Williams’ employees was injured at the truck stop while changing a tire.

After the injury, Williams claimed the husband was his employee and Texas Mutual Insurance paid the claim. But a later investigation found that the man was not an employee of the company and that Williams had filed a fraudulent claim.

The Division of Workers’ Compensation’s (DWC) prosecution unit obtained the indictment against Williams. DWC’s Deputy Commissioner of Compliance and Investigations, Debra Knight says workers’ compensation fraud affects the whole system.

“These claims are detrimental to worker’s compensation carriers in that they pay for injuries that are not reflected in the premiums collected,” says Knight. “This drives up workers’ compensation insurance rates for all policyholders.”

Members of DWC’s prosecution unit are embedded in the Travis County District Attorney’s Office and are paid by DWC to fight fraud across Texas.

You can report suspected workers’ compensation fraud by calling 1-844-FRAUD99 or visit http://www.tdi.texas.gov/wc/ci/wcfraud.html.