View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2021/03/12/604822.htm
Daniel Clampitt, 41, of Denair, Calif., was arraigned on four felony counts including insurance fraud, grand theft and perjury for allegedly claiming to be too injured to work and simultaneously collecting $94,788 in workers’ compensation benefits while also working for another employer.
Clampitt reportedly injured his knee while on duty as a firefighter for the City of Hollister. Due to his injury, Clampitt could not perform his firefighter duties and received wage loss benefits from June 2016 to June 2018.
Surveillance video was obtained in January 2017 of Clampitt working at another company while he was still collecting workers’ compensation benefits from the City of Hollister. A California Department of Insurance investigation reportedly showed that for nine months Clampitt continued to collect wage loss benefits while receiving a paycheck from a new employer. Clampitt did not report this employment and income to the city or the insurance company handling his claim.
During a deposition, Clampitt allegedly claimed he had worked as an independent contractor for the second employer before his injury and denied applying for employment after the date of his injury, but records from the second employer show that Clampitt started working for them in October 2016, four months after his June 2016 injury.
The San Benito County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting this case.