A 50-year-old US-based Ghanaian, Betty Boateng, has been sentenced for workers’ compensation fraud after being caught collecting disability benefits while secretly working two jobs.
Boateng pleaded guilty to a fifth-degree felony after state investigators discovered that she was receiving workers’ compensation disability benefits while working as an in-home caregiver for two companies.
She allegedly received improper payments amounting to $53,278.40.
According to investigators, Boateng collected $53,278.40 in benefits she was not eligible to receive. Disability benefits are intended to support workers who are unable to work due to a workplace injury or illness.
Under Ohio law, collecting such benefits while earning wages from another job without disclosing the income constitutes fraud.
Although Boateng was spared jail time, the court sentenced her to 12 months in prison, suspended on the condition that she complies with the terms of her release.
She was also placed under five years of community control, Ohio’s equivalent of probation, and ordered to repay the full $53,278.40 in restitution, in addition to court costs.
