Facebook posts prove Workers’ Comp fraud

5/21/2013

Facebook helped state investigators prove a Port Clinton woman committed Workers’ Compensation fraud, officials said Tuesday.

Kelley Wheeler, 55, pleaded guilty last week in Franklin County Common Pleas Court to one count of workers’ compensation fraud. She was ordered to repay more than $61,000 she had illegally collected from the state and was placed on community control for five years.

State officials said Wheeler was receiving working wage loss, which is available to injured workers who have found other work but at lower pay.

She submitted 64 false payroll documents indicating she had worked at Travelers Transport in Port Clinton, a nonexistent firm.

She also failed to report wages she from Purrfect Paws Grooming Boutique in Sandusky — work documented through pictures on her Facebook page and the business’ Facebook page.