The shattered toilet inside a restroom at Mickey's Kingdom playground in Downtown Evansville was caused by a plumber during removal.
San Diego, California – San Diego County authorities have ordered Daniela G. Birdwell, a Spring Valley-based plumbing contractor and owner of GPS Plumbing, to pay more than $1 million in restitution after pleading guilty to underpaying workers’ compensation premiums, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
As part of her plea deal, Birdwell will pay $1,030,062 in restitution, serve two years of probation, and complete 320 hours of community service. She is also required to make monthly payments of $10,000 until the full restitution amount is paid.
The fraudulent activity was discovered during an audit by the State Compensation Insurance Fund, which found major discrepancies in Birdwell’s reported wages. Investigators determined that GPS Plumbing underreported millions of dollars in payroll from June 2016 through May 2021, allowing the company to pay lower workers’ compensation premiums than required.
Following the audit, the State Fund’s Special Investigation Unit forwarded its findings to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and the California Department of Insurance, leading to Birdwell’s prosecution.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan emphasized the broader impact of fraud, calling it an issue of fairness and accountability in business.
“Employers who engage in premium fraud are not only breaking the law, they also gain an unfair advantage over their competitors,” Stephan said in a statement. “The dedicated investigators and prosecutors in our Insurance Fraud Division will continue to investigate this type of fraud to hold businesses accountable, protect employees, and level the playing field for law-abiding companies.”
Workers’ compensation insurance fraud is a major financial burden on businesses and taxpayers. In the U.S., insurance fraud costs consumers an estimated $80 billion to $90 billion annually. California alone accounts for roughly $15 billion per year, making it the second-largest economic crime in the country after tax evasion.
By underreporting payroll, businesses can illegally reduce their insurance premiums, but this comes at a cost to both employees and honest business owners who follow the law. Fraudulent practices can leave workers without proper coverage for injuries, while law-abiding companies face higher premiums due to widespread fraud in the system.
