Angel Luis Maces, 24, of San Jacinto, pleaded guilty to one count of felony workers’ compensation insurance fraud after a months-long investigation by the Department of Insurance (DOI). The plea agreement will see Maces serve 24 months of probation, in addition to 270 days in a Sheriff’s work-release program, and pay $76,868 in restitution.
Maces had been employed by a landscaping company in Temecula, and claimed to have injured his knee when he slipped and fell, subsequently needing a cane or crutches 100% of the time. Maces was arrested in February after DOI surveillance showed him “conducting activities that contradicted the physical limitations he described,” including not using a cane or crutches.