The California Department of Insurance (DOI) has announced the self-surrender to the Fresno County Jail of a man accused of perjury and workers’ compensation insurance fraud. Jose Zepeda, 45, of Fresno, faces multiple charges stemming from a claim filed after a 2017 injury. The Department of Insurance investigation found that Zepeda collected almost $20,000 in benefits to which he was not entitled, after finding a new place of employment. The original claim was filed when the construction company he had been working for at the time of his injury was unable to provide accommodation for his limitations. Zepeda subsequently told a claims adjuster that he had not found new employment, and claimed in a deposition that he had only worked for his new employer for one week. The DOI investigation revealed that he had in fact been employed by his new employer for over a year at the time of the subpoena.
Zepeda is being prosecuted by the Fresno County District Attorney’s office, and is scheduled for arraignment on March 15, 2021.