Fla. Man Accused of Fraudulent Workers’ Comp Claims for 10 Years

Florida insurance fraud investigators arrested a man who allegedly filed fraudulent workers’ compensation claims for 10 years after being injured on a job that he got by using his deceased uncle’s social security card.

Guillermo Villasano, also known as Miguel Villasario, 47, of Umatilla, Fla., was arrested last week on charges of workers’ compensation fraud, criminal use of personal identification information, and perjury in an official proceeding. If convicted of the charges, he faces up to 25 years in prison in addition to possible fines and restitution.

On June 5, 1996, Villasano reportedly sustained multiple head injuries as a result of a motor vehicle accident during the course of his employment with Horace Bell Honey Company in Deland.

In a deposition Villasano denied he had been working since the accident, but surveillance video shows him working at Bill Rhodes Honey Company in Umatilla. He was arrested on March 27 while working at the company and was booked into the Volusia County Jail.

The investigation also determined that Villasano had used the name and social security number of his deceased uncle, Miguel Villasario, to apply for jobs and workers’ compensation benefits. From October 1996 to May 2006, Villasano was paid more than $43,000 in disability benefits.

Source: Florida Department of Financial Services