Fla. Employer of Workers Killed at July Construction Site Accident Charged with Fraud

The employer of two workers killed in a July construction accident on a Hobe Sound work site has been arrested and charged with workers’ compensation fraud, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher announced.

According to investigators with the Department of Financial Services’ Division of Insurance Fraud, Richard Meccariello, Jr., 39, of Delray Beach was accused of failing to provide workers’ compensation coverage, a third-degree felony.

“When workers show up to perform a job, they deserve to be protected in case they get injured. This terrible accident is a perfect example of why workers’ compensation is so important,” said Gallagher, who oversees DFS. “Employers who don’t protect their workers will be held accountable.”

The department’s Division of Workers’ Compensation previously ordered two companies owned by Meccariello, Mac’s Construction and Concrete Inc., 848 Glouchester St. in Boca Raton, and Mac’s Custom Construction Inc., to stop work and cease all business operations in Florida due to workers’ comp violations. The companies were also fined a total of $2.4 million.

Under Florida law, construction industry employers with one or more employees must provide workers’ comp coverage for their employees. At the time of the accident in July, Meccariello reportedly employed at least seven workers without coverage.

Meccariello was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail with bond set at $25,000. If convicted, Meccariello faces up to five years in prison.