A Massachusetts construction firm owner fraudulently misclassified subcontractors as siding workers or painters when they were performing riskier roofing work in order to avoid paying higher workers’ compensation premiums, according to the Massachusetts attorney general’s office (AGO).
Massachusetts officials said that Edwin Santiago Bueno of Milford was indicted by a Worcester grand jury. He is scheduled to be arraigned in the Worcester Superior Court on July 14, 2026.
By misclassifying his workers between June 2020 and May 2023, the owner allegedly evaded approximately $20,194 in workers’ compensation premiums owed to Ace American Insurance Co., which is administered by Travelers Insurance Co.
According to the officials, Bueno owned and operated ESB Construction, Inc., a Milford-based construction company. As the owner, Bueno was responsible for providing workers’ compensation insurance for all employees and uninsured subcontractors.
Upon discovering Bueno’s misclassification, Travelers notified the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts (IFB), which confirmed that ESB had been performing roofing work while Bueno classified his subcontractors under other, less expensive categories.
Bueno faces four counts of workers’ compensation insurance fraud and one count of larceny over $1,200.
All of the charges are allegations, and Bueno’s is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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