Volunteer Work Substantial Enough to Support Fraud Conviction

A claimant's volunteer work with a Louisiana tribe led to a workers' compensation fraud conviction, after it became apparent that she spent countless hours working for the tribe and using its bank accounts for her personal gain. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an unpublished decision in United States v. Sherrie D. Wood, case number 10-30756, filed on Nov. 4, 2011, affirming Sherrie Wood's conviction for four counts of fraud. Wood was injured while on active duty for the U.S. Army in 1989, and had received federal workers' compensation benefits in the years that followed...