LOUNGE ACT LANDS N.O. FIREFIGHTER A FRAUD CONVICTION:

The Louisiana Department of Labor reported that a New Orleans firefighter was convicted of trying to cheat the state out of $25,000 in workers’ compensation benefits. According to the DOL, Richard Lloyd, 64, of 3226 Pittari Place, received workers’ comp benefits as a result of injuries he suffered as a New Orleans firefighter. Workers’ comp recipients are required to report any other income they receive to their employer or their insurance company. Any income earned is deducted from the amount of the lost wage workers’ compensation benefits received. The investigation concluded that Lloyd did not tell the fire department or its insurer that he owned and operated the Sports-man’s Bar and Lounge in New Orleans while he was receiving workers’ comp benefits. He never reported the income and, in fact, claimed that he was not receiving any income other than the comp benefits. In addition, he told his doctors that he was not able to return to work, even though he was working in his own bar. A sentencing hearing is set for March 1. Lloyd’s is the second prosecution in recent months of someone trying to defraud the workers’ compensation system, the DOL said.

Topics Fraud Workers' Compensation