Calif. Food Service Assistant Nailed in Comp Scam

Sandra Canas, 45, of Daly City, California was sentenced recently for workers’ compensation fraud.

Canas was ordered to pay full restitution of $29,735, serve three months in jail, and three years probation, by Judge Hall at the County of San Mateo Superior Court in Redwood City, Calif. Judge Hall stated that during her 3 years probation, Canas must maintain full employment or vocational training. He also added that should she leave to go back to her country, she would not be able to re-enter the United States legally.

Jessica Blakiston, Redwood City branch supervisor of Keenan & Associates, third-party administrator for the San Mateo County Schools Insurance Group JPA, began investigating Canas back in 2001 when she noticed some discrepancies between her alleged injuries and medical reports.

Canas was arrested on Nov. 10, 2004 and charged with two felony counts of receiving income while receiving workers’ comp benefits and one felony count of misrepresenting her level of disability to her doctor.

At the end of the sentencing, Judge Hall noted that there will be
additional probationary issues that she will need to comply with, and gave her until Oct. 1, 2005 to turn herself in to the Redwood City Jail.