Two Charged with Scheme to Cash Deceased Client's Settlement Check

A Southern California hearing representative and an interpreter are accused of conspiring to cash an $18,946 workers' compensation settlement check written in the name of an applicant who died before the case was settled. An investigation by the state Department of Insurance led to the arrest Nov. 3 of hearing representative Ramon Humerto Otero of Adelanto, 37, and Efrain Heredia Ojeda, 43, of Corona. Investigators say Otero negotiated a settlement check for a client, which the Insurance Department did not identify. The client died while negotiations were underway. Otero allegedly re...