California owes some of its prosperity to Man’s never-ending search for gold.  The process of mining gold, from a complex company operation to one gritty solo prospector, reminds many Californians of our own collection and adopted heritage.

So what separates Stephen Eugene Harder of Woodland from these brave gold hunters who pierced the Earth with their gaze and their mining equipment?  Well, Curly the Gold Miner probably never filed a workers’ compensation claim, and also didn’t claim disability in between swings of his pickaxe.

Harder was arrested after footage was obtained of his engaging in, among other things, gold mining activities.  Before any confusion ensues and a possible libel action arises, Mr. Harder was NOT caught in an effort to marry a wealthy, significantly older, spouse in the hopes of a profitable divorce.  This is the old-fashioned type of gold-digging that includes retrieving precious metals from the Earth.

The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office scored a conviction of five counts of workers’ compensation fraud.  Sentencing is scheduled for March 23.

While WCDefenseCA thanks Mr. Harder for keeping California’s gold-mining heritage alive, a much bigger (and considerably less sarcastic) salute goes to Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.