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  January 14, 2008
  Source:  WorkInjury.com, Monterey Herald
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Preliminary Hearing Finally Underway for Major WC Fraud and Conspiracy Case in Salinas

Following a raid last October in Salinas on the offices of a packing company and its designated urgent care facility, workers' compensation fraud and conspiracy charges were filed against several key employees from both companies.

The allegations included discouraging employees injured on the job from filing workers' comp claims over several years. The companies involved are Smurfit-Stone Container Enterprises and Pinnacle Urgent Care, both of Salinas.

Among the dozens of current and former employees charged were the former human resources and plant managers of Smurfit and a physicians assistant at Pinnacle.

The criminal charges have now grown to 109 counts and the preliminary hearing against three of the major players is now underway and expected to take up to a month to complete.

The prosecutor alleges that the motive behind the conspiracy was to keep workers' comp. premiums down for the packing company by having on-the-job injuries declared as non-industrial by the urgent care center.

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