Houston Man Pleads Guilty to Hiding Payroll

Texas Mutual Insurance Company reported today that Marvin Solano, of Houston, pled guilty to workers’ compensation fraud-related charges. A Travis County district court ordered Solano to pay $140,038 to Texas Mutual, pay a fine of $1,000, serve 10 years of deferred adjudication and perform 300 hours of community service.

Solano owned Elamar, Ltd., doing business as Mastercare Gardens. He obtained workers’ compensation coverage through Texas Mutual from February 2006 to May 2008. During that time, he concealed payroll through various family operated companies he controlled.

Because workers’ compensation premium is based, in part, on payroll, this type of scheme results in an employer being charged a lower premium than it actually owes. By hiding payroll, an employer can gain an unfair advantage over competitors.

Source: Texas Mutual Insurance Company