So, there I was – taking the deposition of a healthy-looking young man in California, as, through his interpreter, he recited his social security number.  But, as my file reflected, that social security number belongs to a 78-year-old woman in Texas.  “Hmmm, I thought, well that’s odd…”

Yeah, that happens once in a while in California: an illegal alien will pay to obtain a cloned/stolen/fraudulent social security number and passes the basic test to obtain employment.  Then, during the workers’ compensation claims process, the truth comes out: the noble injured worker, suffering heroically in duty to his or her employer, is a fraud and a liar, and has stolen the identity of someone else.

So, dear readers, consider, if you will, the case of Leticia Serapio, who was arrested and charged with identity theft and felony use of false documents.  This is after she filed three claims against her employer, Nutramed, Inc., alleging injuries in 2012, 2013, and a cumulative trauma lasting through both.   A similar case was reported upon earlier. 

Assuming that she pleads her case out or is convicted, how do you think her credibility will hold up at trial?

Now, this is a case in which law enforcement cooperated with the defendants and prosecuted this case.  However, not all district attorneys have identity theft and fraud cases high on their priority cases.  In any case, the effort should be made to investigate such cases and present the facts to the local prosecutor – if a person is willing to steal another person’s identity and social security number, and lie to get employed, why wouldn’t the same person be willing to lie about the manner or extent of his or her injuries?

As always, WCDefenseCA wishes the prosecutors involved good hunting in the prosecution of this case.