L&I: Man Accused of Stealing $340,000 by Running Business While Collecting Benefits

A man who allegedly started a metal fabrication shop just weeks after suffering a workplace injury was charged with felony theft for allegedly stealing about $340,000 in indemnity benefits, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries said. Travis L. Johnson, 52, injured his lower back, right arm and hand when he slipped on ice while working as a truck driver in January 2018. The treating physician determined that Johnson could not work because of the injury, and he started collecting wage replacement benefits. Over the next four years, L&I said, Johnson submitted 57 offi...