Ohio man order to pay back $13,000 to Workers’ Comp

A former Mentor man was ordered to pay more than $13,000 in workers’ compensation restitution. Russell Whitman pleaded guilty June 12 to workers’ compensation fraud, after an investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation revealed he and his wife concocted an elaborate scheme to submit false documents to the agency, so he would continue to receive workers’ compensation benefits while incarcerated. "A quick-thinking claims service specialist spotted a newspaper article about the incarcerated injured worker, and reported it to our Special Investigations Department," said BWC Administrator/CEO Steve Buehrer.