The owner of two California farm labor companies is facing up to eight years in jail after pleading guilty to workers’ compensation fraud.
Robert Delara pleaded guilty to workers’ compensation fraud and admitted he discouraged his employees from seeking medical care for on-the-job injuries.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 2, 2022, in the Ventura County Superior Court.
Delara is facing a maximum sentence of eight years in jail.
Lied about injuries
Delara owns and operates two farm labor companies that provide harvesting and labor services to agricultural employers in the Ventura, CA, area.
In court, Delara admitted he discouraged employees from getting medical care for work-related injuries.
He also admitted to lying to his insurance carriers about the occurrence of these injuries to keep his insurance premiums down.
More than $1M in assets seized
Delara had more than $1 million in bank accounts and assets connected to the fraud seized by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Workers’ Compensation Fraud Unit.
As a condition of his plea agreement, Delara must liquidate those assets to pay fines and restitution to his insurance carriers.
The exact amount of the fines and restitution was not released.