Louisiana Workforce Commission Staying Tough on Workers’ Compensation

BATON ROUGE, La., Feb. 23 -- Louisiana Workforce Commission issued the following news release:

The Louisiana Workforce Commission today announced an arrest in the case of a man charged with insurance fraud.

Richard H. Woodle of Pineville, owner of Streamline Framing, Inc., was arrested and booked in East Baton Rouge Parish on felony charges of willful misrepresentations by an employer and unlawful practices. Woodle is accused of making false statements to his workers' compensation insurer over a three-year period in an effort to avoid paying workers' compensation premiums for employees of his company. By making these false statements, it is estimated that Woodle avoided paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in premiums. If convicted, Woodle could face up to 10 years in prison.

"We do not take fraud lightly," said LWC Executive Director Curt Eysink. "We will continue to take a hard line with businesses and individuals who break the law and do what we can to help those who play by the rules."

In the past two years, the LWC fraud unit has referred more than 50 businesses and individuals for prosecution because they were suspected of defrauding the workers' compensation system.

For more information or to report suspected acts of fraud or non-compliance, contact the Louisiana Workforce Commission's Workers' Compensation Fraud Division at 225-342-7558 or 800-201-3362.

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