Restaurant Owner Accused of $250,000 Fraud Scheme

The owner of a Spokane restaurant faces a felony theft charge for collecting $249,267 in workers’ compensation benefits during an eight-year period in which she claimed she was unable to work, the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries said.Wanitta Racicot, 69, filed a claim in 2001 saying that she injured both of her arms while working at a restaurant.A department investigator, who was examining whether Racicot should be referred for a pension, reportedly witnessed the woman carrying groceries, bussing heavy dishes, scrubbing a bar counter and doing other tasks at her resta...