Former Alaska State Employee and Wisconsin Nurse Indicted for Worker's Compensation Fraud, Perjury and Theft
May 20, 2013
Groom is a former State of Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT) employee. He worked for DOT in Fox, Alaska as an operator at a weigh station. According to labor records, Groom was injured on the job in 1999. In 2002, Groom moved to Wisconsin. In 2008, he settled his workers' compensation claim with the State of Alaska for $201,500. Under the settlement, the State agreed to provide future medical benefits. Shortly thereafter, Groom allegedly began receiving massage treatment from Fischer in the State of Wisconsin. Fischer has represented that she is a certified nurse in the State of Wisconsin and the State of Alaska paid for Groom's treatments. The indictment alleges that Groom and Fischer submitted fraudulent workers' compensation reimbursement forms for the massage treatment. The State of Alaska alleges that Groom and Fischer obtained, through false representations, over $20,000 worth of unauthorized workers' compensation benefits for treatment that Groom never received from Fischer. The perjury counts stem from allegedly false statements Fischer made during a deposition. Groom and Fischer face sentences of up to ten years in prison and a fine of $100,000 if convicted. Sentencing is based on the judge's view of the seriousness of the crime and the offender's criminal history, if any. An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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