Claimant Charged With Fraud for Allegedly Double Dipping

A man who said he couldn’t work because of a back injury is facing fraud charges for allegedly harvesting and delivering oysters while collecting workers’ compensation benefits, the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries announced. Jose Cruz Contreras Alvarez, 39, faces a single count of first degree theft. He is accused of stealing more than $70,000 in work comp benefits since late 2016, including more than $32,000 in indemnity benefits. Alvarez started receiving benefits in 2013 for a back injury suffered while working as a shellfish harvester. L&I opened an i...