Contractor Charged with Fraud, Accused of Lowballing Payroll
The owner of a Revere, Mass.-based contracting company has been indicted in connection with a workers’ compensation insurance fraud scheme, according to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.
Anner Valentin Amaya of Revere, Mass., was indicted by a Suffolk County Grand Jury on five counts of workers’ compensation fraud, two counts for failure to provide workers’ compensation insurance, and five counts of larceny of over $250 by false pretenses. He will be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court on April 17.
The attorney general’s office said it began an investigation after this matter was referred to the office by the Insurance Fraud Bureau.
The AG’s Office alleges that between May 2012 and August 2016, Amaya, who owns the business Valentin General Contractors, “substantially underreported” the number of individuals his business employed and the amount he paid these employees when audited by his workers’ compensation insurance provider. In total, the AG’s Office alleges that Amaya evaded more than $73,000 in insurance premiums.
Source: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General