Jeff Atwater: Two Charged with Workers’ Compensation Fraud

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced two Tampa Bay-area residents were arrested Thursday for alleged workers compensation fraud.

Yvonne C. Timmons, 61, of St. Petersburg, and Willie Lee Kendrick, 52, of Palmetto, were charged in separate cases with filing false or misleading information in order to fraudulently obtain workers compensation insurance benefits, a release from Atwaters office stated.

Workers compensation insurance laws are intended to protect businesses and employees from losses when legitimate accidents occur, Atwater stated in a release. We will not stand by and watch while fraudsters like these deliberately undermine the system for their own personal gain.

Investigations by the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Insurance Fraud allege that both Timmons and Kendrick provided false information to collect workers compensation benefits. Timmons reportedly was paid more than $60,000 in benefits while continuing to work, while Kendrick was paid $71,000.