No Honor Among Thieves

A Bucks County, PA  man was arrested today for allegedly collecting workers’ compensation benefits while he was soliciting side jobs and working as a self-employed contractor. To make matters worse, he is also being charged with bilking an elderly man out of $3,000 for the work he completed while collecting disability benefits.

 According to the Bucks Local News, Attorney General Tom Corbett identified the man charged as 35-year-old William Thomson of Bristol. Mr. Corbett alleges that Thomson was fraudulently collecting worker’s compensation benefits and decided to rip off an elderly man while he was at it. Apparently Thomson was claiming he was unable to work due to injuries he sustained in the course of employment, yet he managed to advertise and complete construction work under the business he formed,”Ceiling to Basement Repairs.”

 “Corbett said that Thomson collected more than $68,500 in workers’ compensation benefits after claiming that a November 2008 work-related back injury prevented him from working. Thomson had been employed by Ace Design in Bristol.”

According to a criminal complaint, Thomson installed a small patio roof for the victim and quoted an $800 charge. Afterwards, he escorted the elderly gentlemen to the bank and altered his withdrawal slip to $3,800 dollars. If it wasn’t bad enough that Thomson decided to drain resources out of the worker’s compensation pool with a fraudulent claim, he also decided to drain the resources of an elderly man as well. Apparently, there really is “no honor among thieves.”

 Thomson was booked in the Bucks County Jail in lieu of a $250,000 bond.  He faces third-degree felony charges including insurance fraud, workers compensation fraud and stealing by deception.  Each charge carries a maximum of seven years in prison and $15,000 in fines.