Judge Benches Softball Players in a Federal Dugout By Robert Warne - December 10, 2003 The work comp fraud case involving an adjuster, a voc rehab counselor and a softball team that went into extra innings for over a year, concluded Nov. 25 when US District Judge Ronald Lew delivered a hardball verdict that included jail time.
Angel Uribe, 33, of Ontario worked as a claims supervisor at the former CNA subsidiary, Alexsis Risk Management between 1996 and 1998 when he issued more than 300 fraudulent checks.
Uribe pled guilty to mail fraud and money laundering in February and for masterminding the scheme, Judge Lew ordered him to spend 37 months behind bars and pay nearly $300,000 in restitution.
The judge recommended the Federal Prison Camp at Victorville so Uribe could be enrolled in its substance abuse program. His teammate and partner in crime, Jorge Riesgo, 39, operated a series of sham voc rehab companies that received nearly half of the estimated $400,000 in checks issued by Uribe.
Riesgo pled guilty to mail fraud in February and had worked as a voc rehab counselor in the Los Angeles office of Herrera & Associates up until this past August. The company couldn’t disclose the terms of his departure and said, as far as they know he’s working independently now.
But beginning in January he will lose that independence when he checks into Federal prison for 15 months. Also for his part in the illegal operation he will need to come up with $120,000.00 in restitution.
None of the other members of the softball team have been charged so far for cashing some of the checks and returning a portion of the proceeds to Uribe during their weekly games.
This case which adjustercom.com reported on April 21, 2003 and Nov. 19, 2002 was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and IRS-Criminal Investigation.
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