Truck Driver Must Pay Restitution After Double-Dipping Plea

Tuesday, August 27, 2019 | 0

Almost 10 years after he was injured on the job and began collecting benefits, an Ohio truck driver was found to be working for another company, the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation announced.

Everett Ferryman
(Ohio BWC photo)

Everett Ferryman, 46, was sentenced last week to five years of probation. He also must pay $22,851 in restitution, the BWC said in a bulletin. Ferryman pleaded guilty to fifth-degree felony of workers' compensation fraud after state investigators discovered him working for seven months in 2017.

The BWC investigators were acting on a tip when they documented the man working while receiving benefits.

“The law is clear — our benefits are for workers who are truly injured,” said BWC Administrator/CEO Stephanie McCloud. “They’re not a support system for people trying to cheat BWC and Ohio employers.”

Across the state, the owner of a central Ohio landscaping company was ordered to pay BWC $9,888 in restitution after investigators found he continued to work for his company while collecting benefits for nearly a year and a half.

Robert McWhorter, of New Albany, pleaded guilty to workers’ compensation fraud in a Franklin County courtroom. A judge sentenced McWhorter to one year of probation in lieu of six months in jail. He has paid his restitution in full.

Also last week, sentencing was set for Sept. 6 for the owner of an Akron construction company who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and workers' compensation fraud after a worker fell to his death in July.

James Coon did not obtain comp coverage on his workers and repeatedly lied about his business to authorities, the BWC said.