Contractor Sentenced for Comp Fraud and Other Crimes

Wednesday, January 17, 2018 | 0

A Middleton man who posed as a licensed building contractor has been sentenced to at least two years in prison after pleading guilty to 42 charges, including workers’ compensation fraud.

Jaime Ford, 49, was described as boundlessly greedy by Essex Assistant District Attorney Philip Mallard, who recommended a three- to four-year prison sentence, the Beverly Citizen reported.

Ford filed a false workers’ compensation claim in 2013 with Traveler’s Insurance and collected $37,000 in total disability payments, and underwent a $94,000 surgery paid for under the policy. Prosecutors say Ford falsely claimed to be an employee of a company and created a fake W2 form.

While collecting total disability, Ford started the fraudulent contracting business, prosecutors say.

“In spite of multiple civil lawsuits for similar behavior, the defendant continued his deceptive practices and he was undeterred from harming homeowners, insurance companies and the public,” Mallard told the newspaper. “He has repeatedly, and for years, ignored the requirements of the law.”