Restaurant Owner and Manager Charged With Fraud

Wednesday, August 24, 2022 | 1

An owner and a manager at a restaurant in East Austin were both indicted for their roles in an alleged scheme to defraud a workers’ compensation carrier out of $350,000, the Texas Department of Insurance announced.

Allison Clem, manager of la Barbecue, and her wife, LeAnn Mueller, who owns the food truck and restaurant, were both ordered to appear in Travis County District Court on Sept. 28.

The department said Clem and Mueller learned that a worker suffered severe injuries in 2016 at a point when the restaurant had been without comp coverage since November 2014. Four days after learning of the injury, Clem allegedly made arrangements to get comp coverage for the business.

The department said Clem did not disclose her worker’s injuries to the agent and asked that the new policy be backdated to July 1, 2016 — three weeks before the accident. Mueller allegedly submitted a signed application for coverage claiming the business had no prior losses.

Travelers Casualty Insurance Co. of America approved the policy and subsequently accepted the claim for the restaurant worker’s injuries, paying more than $350,000 in medical and indemnity benefits, the department said.