New York Hotel Worker Charged with Workers Compensation Fraud

A 49-year-old Nassau County, New York woman has been arrested on charges of fraudulently collecting $20,000 in workers’ compensation benefits, the New York State Insurance Department reported.

Maria Escobar, of Valley Stream, was charged with fraudulent practices following her arrest by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office. She will be scheduled to appear at a hearing in Suffolk County Court.

According to Francis T. Hunt of the Insurance Department’s Frauds Bureau, Escobar collected workers’ compensation benefits from the New York State Insurance Fund after claiming she suffered burns, as well as leg and back injuries, while employed as a hotel attendant in 2003. She is charged with accepting the benefits while operating Tieras Centro Americano, a restaurant in Jamaica, Queens.

If she is convicted, she could be sentenced to up to four years in prison. The case is being tried in Suffolk County because that is the location of the Insurance Fund office where Escobar allegedly submitted paperwork claiming she was unable to work.

Source: New York State Insurance Department