WA Man Fraudulently Collects Workers' Compensation Benefits

Pat Jennings

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A Washington man has recently been sentenced to jail time following illegal collection of funds after a work injury. Willard Leech, a resident of Bellingham, had suffered a lumbar injury that put him out of work, although at the same time in which he was collecting benefits, Leech was also working a carpentry job for more than 10 months. This included maneuvering on ladders and manipulating roofing into place. He will serve 30 days in jail as well as 12 months of community supervision for the unlawful activities. In addition, the courts ordered Leech to repay nearly $19,000 in illegally collected money and court costs.

The Department of Labor and Industries conducted an investigation into the benefits that were being received by Leech. Assistant Attorney General Susan DanPullo used this investigation to find grounds into eventually filing charges against the carpenter whom pled guilty to first-degree theft.

The original workers compensation claim for which these charges began was filed in 1988, closed and then re-opened in 2004. After the Department of Labor and Industries exposed Leech's fraudulent accepting of the funds, they moved to file criminal charges. This act was fueled by the fact that Leech had previously been ordered to repay over $5000, after he had committed fraud in 2003 against the department for illegally collecting workers compensation benefits.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Workers Compensation.