Donna Bricault, 39, was sentenced earlier this month by Worcester Superior Court Judge James Lemire on charges of Worker’s Compensation and Perjury. She was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay more than $5,000 in restitution.

“Workers’ compensation fraud leads to higher insurance premiums that are passed down to consumers,” AG Coakley said. “Despite running her own business, the defendant continued to collect benefits and lied to authorities about her earnings.”

In 2007, Ms. Bricault began receiving worker’s compensation benefits following a job-related injury which had occurred in 2005.  While receiving those benefits, Ms. Bricualt simultaneously began operating a home daycare business in 2007. As a result, the Attorney General alleged that from March 2007 through September of 2007, Bricault earned more than $5,000 in income through her business as well as collecting more than $5,000 in workers’ compensation benefits.

In August 2007, Ms. Bricault then presented an Employee Earnings Report to her company’s insurer attesting that she had received no past earnings during the last six months. It was then shown that she subsequently went on to give false testimony to the Department of Industrial Accidents hearing regarding her workers’ compensation benefits claim and whether or not she had had earnings during the previous six months.

As a result of these actions, Ms. Bricault was indicted by a Worcester County Grand Jury on March 22, 2013. She was then arraigned on April 12th and pleaded guilty to the charges. She was free on her personal recognizance until this month when she was placed on probation for five years and ordered to pay back to the insurance carrier the workers’ compensation benefits she fraudulently collected.