County Receives $2 Million Grant to Combat Fraud

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By City News Service

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office will have $2 million in additional funding to investigate and prosecute cases involving workers’ compensation fraud, it was announced Wednesday.

The $2.02 million grant was among 37 awarded by the California Department of Insurance in the 2015-16 fiscal year. The agency has earmarked a total $34.95 million for anti-fraud programs statewide.

“The impact of fraud is felt across California as a drain on our economy,” said state Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. “These grants will assist district attorneys across the state in uncovering workers’ compensation fraud schemes and prosecuting those who take advantage of the system.”

The Riverside County D.A.’s office relies on grant funding to support several units.

According to the Department of Insurance, the county’s application was scrutinized by the commissioner’s review panel that forwarded its allocation recommendation to the state Fraud Assessment Commission, which approved the grant.

The department’s list of grant recipients showed the largest sum was awarded to Los Angeles County, which received $6.45 million for this fiscal year, while the smallest grant -- $52,992 -- went to Siskiyou County.