Farmworker Charged With Fraud After 7th Comp Claim

A Southern California farmworker is accused of claiming she was injured at work before she had even been hired, and of lying about six previous workplace injuries that she had claimed, Intercare Insurance Services said. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office charged Maria Cortez, 57, with two counts of insurance fraud, attempted perjury under oath and unauthorized use of another person’s identity. Intercare said the Social Security number Cortez provided to Laguna Farms when seeking employment belonged to a person who lived in Oregon. Cortez claime...