Orange County Woman Pleads Guilty to Workers’ Comp Fraud

Noel DeSota of Orange County was arrested by CDI fraud investigators and sentenced to serve 60 days in Orange County Jail, complete 120 hours of community service, three years probation, and pay a $200 court fine.

DeSota worked for Creative Business Concepts in Irvine in the spring of 1998 when she slipped and fell allegedly injuring her left hip, knee, back and neck. She was referred to a physician for treatment and later placed on temporary total disability according to her complaints and inability to return to normal work duties. Over the next several months, DeSota was referred to physical therapy treatments and a number of physicians to help alleviate her symptoms.

Later that year, DeSota hired a personal trainer from a gym to oversee a training routine for her. A couple months later, she joined a Jazzercise class and continued with the class for six months, while at the same time, allegedly informing her treating physicians she was unable to work as a result of pain any physical activity caused her.

In Feb. 1999, DeSota was videotaped at her gym training session and Jazzercise class. In a deposition later that year, she allegedly denied ever taking part in an aerobic-type class. CDI investigators displayed the videotape of DeSota’s activities to her treating physicians, who following watching the videotape, claimed she made a material misrepresentation to them regarding her ability to return to her normal work requirements.

DeSota pled guilty to three counts of insurance fraud, which includes paying $70,000 restitution to Kemper Insurance Co.

Topics Fraud Workers' Compensation