A former Alaska Department of Transportation worker and his supposed masseuse were charged with defrauding the State of Alaska out of more than $20,000 of worker's compensation benefits, the state Department of Law said Monday.
Scott A. Groom and Laurayne K. Fischer, both currently living in Wisconsin, were charged with 93 counts including perjury, theft and falsification of business records.
Groom was an operator at a state DOT weigh station in Fox when he was injured on the job in 1999, according to the Department of Law. In 2008 he settled a worker's compensation claim with the state for $201,500. The state agreed to pay for medical treatment as part of the settlement.
Groom allegedly said he was getting massage treatment from Fischer, paid for by the state of Alaska.
Prosecutors say Groom never got the massage treatment and the two submitted fraudulent workers' compensation reimbursement and later lied about it.
They face sentences up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $100,000 if convicted.
Reach Michelle Theriault Boots at mtheriault@adn.com or 257-4344.
By MICHELLE THERIAULT BOOTS