Comp Prosecutor Lands First Indictment — on Contractor Misclassification

A special division at the Louisiana Office of Workers' Compensation Administration, set up to prosecute comp fraud, has notched its first indictment: a subcontractor who may have been involved in the Hard Rock Hotel construction site that collapsed in October. Manuel A. Reyes, owner of Rey Co., a Metairie-based drywall contractor, was indicted in November on nine counts related to premium fraud and misclassification of workers, according to OWCA and the indictment. Reyes underreported his payroll by as much as $794,000, cutting the cost of his comp premiums considerably, OWCA D...