COLUMBUS — A Columbus woman has been ordered to repay more than $53,000 to the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation after pleading guilty to workers’ compensation fraud, the agency announced.
Betty Boateng pleaded guilty to one count of workers’ compensation fraud, a fifth-degree felony, in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. Investigators with the bureau’s Special Investigations Department found she had collected disability benefits while working non-medical in-home care jobs for multiple employers.
According to the bureau, Boateng returned to work for two different employers during periods when she was receiving disability payments she was not entitled to, earning wages while continuing to accept the checks. The improper payments added up to $53,278.40.
A Franklin County judge accepted her guilty plea on Sept. 23 and moved directly to sentencing. Boateng received a 12-month suspended sentence and 60 months of community control, along with mandatory reporting requirements. The court waived fines but imposed court costs, and ordered the full $53,278.40 paid back to the bureau as restitution.
Bureau Administrator Stephanie McCloud said fraud against the workers’ compensation system takes resources from honest Ohio workers and employers, and that the agency remains committed to holding people accountable so funds stay available for those genuinely in need. The bureau’s investigators routinely compare benefit records against employment data to flag cases where recipients are working while collecting disability payments.