DOT Worker Convicted of Fraud

Monday, May 21, 2018 | 0

A jury convicted a former worker for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities on 37 felonies relating to bills for medical services that were never performed.

The Department of Labor and Workforce Development said in a statement that Scott Groom was injured in 1999 while working for the transportation department. He settled his claim in 2008, with the state agreeing to provide future medical benefits.

Groom, who had moved to Wisconsin, started submitting bills for massage services he said were provided by Laurayne Fischer. The department said the services were not actually provided.

Groom also submitted fraudulent mileage reimbursement claims related to the treatments that weren’t provided by Fischer, according to the department.

Groom was convicted on one count of a scheme to defraud, two counts of theft and 34 counts of falsifying business records. He faces up to 10 years in prison at a Sept. 11 sentencing hearing.

Fischer pleaded guilty to two counts of theft in February and testified against Groom at trial. She was required to repay $20,391 in restitution for services that she didn’t provide.