Maine Man Sentenced for Worker?s Compensation Fraud

February 8, 2012

AUGUSTA ? Attorney General William J. Schneider announced that a former Medway man was sentenced to 60 days in jail following his plea of guilty to perjury.

David A. Powers, 50, was sentenced on February 7 in the Penobscot Judicial Center. The charge arose from Powers? false testimony in a worker?s compensation hearing in April, 2009 that he had not earned wages since 2006 and that he did not have earnings of any kind in 2008. Powers asserted that deposits from a logging and land clearing company and a trucking company to his personal bank account were for his son, not income to him for his work. During the time that Powers was collecting worker?s compensation for a back injury, he was observed operating a crane and grapples, and picking up trees and brush and feeding them into a chipping machine. Surveillance video and Powers? bank records showed his testimony under oath to be false.

At the time of the sentencing, Powers paid $6,000 in restitution to Acadia Insurance Company to reimburse the company for the worker?s compensation paid to him while he was working in 2008.

?Mr. Powers fraudulently misrepresented the extent of his disability, his actual work activities and his employment income,? said Attorney General Schneider. ?Witnesses who lie before any tribunal, whether administrative or judicial, undermine the integrity of the process and impede our ability to make sure justice is done.?

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin, for Attorney General Schneider?s Criminal Division and was investigated by the Attorney General?s Investigations Division.