The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office on Monday announced charges against an Antioch woman who allegedly staged multiple slips and falls at different places of employment.
Maria Mendoza, 52, was arrested Friday and charged with four counts of workers’ compensation fraud dating back to 2014 as well as a pair of charges of fraudulent auto insurance claims.
The district attorney’s office opened an investigation into Mendoza’s previous workers’ compensation claims after she allegedly staged a slip and fall in October 2017 at an Olive Garden location in Pittsburg.
The first charges allege that Mendoza filed multiple fraudulent workers’ compensation claims in relation to her three-month employment with Pronto Cleaning Services in 2014. Mendoza argued that she received cumulative trauma to her hands, wrists and knees while on the job.
Mendoza also allegedly filed a workers’ compensation claim later that year after working at Architectural Glass and Aluminum for two months, telling medical professionals that she had made no prior claims.
The Olive Garden location hired Mendoza in 2017, but after roughly five months, the restaurant’s employees and manager alleged that she faked a slip and fall incident while en route to a disciplinary meeting. Mendoza argued that she suffered injuries to her knees and ankles as a result of the fall.
The fourth claim Mendoza filed came after working roughly one month at a Claim Jumper restaurant. Mendoza allegedly reported another slip and fall to a doctor and, according to the district attorney’s office, again told the doctor she had never filed a workers’ compensation claim.
Mendoza also allegedly filed an auto insurance claim regarding an accident in 2014 in which she reported suffering the same injuries she reported in her claim against Pronto Cleaning Services. In 2018, Mendoza also allegedly filed an insurance claim for damage to the same vehicle in the 2014 claim that she reported was totaled, prosecutors said.
People with information about potential insurance fraud can contact the district attorney’s office at DA-ReportFraud@contracostada.org.
Insurance fraud is punishable by a maximum five-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $50,000.
Insurance companies keep a national data base of insurance claim. That i the first place an investigator goes when checking out a claim. That is how she was easily caught.
You say “easily caught” but she did get away with multiple (apparently) fraudulent claims over many years before they got the cuffs on her…
Picking on Olive Garden? ??? Put her in General Population, they’ll take care of her.
She’s a nightmare! She’s an honest employer’s worst ordeal! She makes me want to scream. Employers add so very weary of employing anyone because of her. Lock her the crack up and keep her freeloading ass off of the streets because you know that’s all she knows how to do.
Dirt Bag ! enough said.
Won’t it be great when they pass the law
in Sacramento making it illegal to do
background checks on prospective employees.
Ms. Mendoza will be back to scamming again
and her new boss will be none the wiser.
Thanks Gavin!
The one thing missing from this article is her photo. Public humiliation of this low life blood suck.
@Shoulda Coulda – U R right! Was thinking same!
Lazy bloodsucker.
I was once on a hiring board. One applicant checked YES in the felony box. The HR rep asked “what for”? I could read Worker’s Comp Fraud upside down and that pretty much ended her chances of getting hired. We had enough problems with fake injuries without hiring a pro.
Note to self: fraudulent workers compensation claims aren’t considered protected health information under HIPAA!
In a real world she would get five years for every time she pulled the fraud.
A 9 mm round point blank to the head would solve this permanently. Wouldn’t cost more than $0.40 either. Problem solved and she would never do this again. Probably illegal alien too
That’s obscene. By that I mean both your comment and your suggested price for a single cartridge (way too high).
$0.40 for a round of Federal HST 9mm is the going price.
Let’s see her slip and fall in jail!!
Lock her up and force her to eat endless bread sticks every day.
This has to be one of the least respectable crimes…..I mean brawling or moonshining would look better on a resume……