Project Manager Indicted in Texas for Workers’ Comp Fraud

Texas Mutual Insurance Company reported that a Travis County, Texas, grand jury indicted Higgie Highsmith of San Antonio on workers’ compensation fraud-related charges. Highsmith allegedly collected $7,112 in workers’ comp benefits he was not entitled to.

Highsmith reported a job-related injury while working for Lakequest Enterprises, headquartered in San Antonio. His doctor placed him in off-work status, and Texas Mutual Insurance Company began paying him workers’ comp benefits.

Meanwhile, Texas Mutual Insurance Company uncovered evidence that Highsmith was working as a project manager with another employer while he collected benefits. State law requires injured workers to contact their workers’ comp insurance carrier when they return to work.

The Highsmith investigation is part of Texas Mutual Insurance Company’s “zero tolerance for fraud” policy. Texas Mutual Insurance Company maintains three teams of investigators permanently assigned to investigate every report of suspected fraud.

The company noted that a grand jury indictment is a formal accusation – not a conviction – of criminal conduct.

Source: Texas Mutual