Former Ventura County Human Services Agency employee sentenced in workers’ comp fraud case

July 27--A former Ventura County Human Services Agency employee was sentenced Tuesday to 109 days in county jail and placed on probation for filing fraudulent workers' compensation claims.

A jury in June found Linda Boggess, 59, guilty of four felony counts of workers' compensation insurance fraud. According to prosecutors, Boggess filed the claim in March 2007 and said she was experiencing "paralyzing pain."

Boggess received medical treatment and was placed on temporary disability until November 2011, when she was cleared to return to work without restrictions. Prosecutors said the Ventura woman filed new work restrictions approved by another doctor that limited her from lifting any more than 5 pounds.

The county, which handles workers' compensation claims, launched an investigation on Boggess in January 2012.

According to prosecutors, video surveillance showed Boggess in a parking lot and she was seen lifting car tires mounted on wheels, which weighed 45 pounds each. Prosecutors said the video showed Boggess carried the tires about 50 feet.

According to prosecutors, Boggess said in a March 2012 deposition said she was "unable to lift and move anything heavier than a gallon of milk."

Ventura County Superior Court Judge David Hirsch approved Boggess for work release and ordered her jail sentence "deemed served," according to court records.

Boggess, however, was placed on probation for five years and also was ordered to pay the county $14,007 in restitution.

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