Wash. Cab Driver Faces 15 Felony Counts for Workers’ Comp Fraud

The Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) says a 54 year old Seattle man has been charged with 15 counts of second degree theft in connection with more than $262,000 he received in workers’ compensation and other benefits. The Attorney General’s Office filed the charges against Shahin I. Shahin in King County Superior Court earlier this week. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance August 12. Shahin could face up to five years in prison plus fines and restitution for each of the 15 counts. Shahin filed an industrial injury claim with L&I in 1996 for injuries he sustained when a security door fell on him while employed at a Seattle restaurant. He received time-loss compensation through 2001, and was then granted total permanent disability — receiving pension benefits through May of 2012.