Washougal contractor is ordered to repay $127,000

A Clark County Superior Court judge ordered a Washougal contractor to repay $127,000 in workers’ compensation benefits after he pleaded guilty to second-degree theft last week.

Judge Suzan Clark sentenced Daniel Joseph Lesieur, 54, to 30 days of electronic home monitoring Feb. 10 and ordered him to repay the benefits as restitution.

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries said Lesieur lied on forms to steal nearly $121,000 in wage benefits and more than $6,200 in vocational training services from January 2019 to October 2021. He filed an injury claim with the department in April 2018 after he said he hurt his shoulder while working on a road crew shoveling asphalt.

At the same time, investigators said, Lesieur continued to operate his construction business, Elk Ridge Custom Homes Inc., and collected more than $370,000 for work in Portland and Vancouver.

“This is one of the most blatant attempts we’ve seen recently of workers’ comp fraud,” Celeste Monahan, assistant director of the state agency’s Fraud Prevention and Labor Standards division, said in a news release. “We’re pleased we put a stop to this theft. Now, we can return these stolen funds to the workers’ comp system for their intended purpose: helping legitimately injured workers heal and return to work.”

People can report fraud on the state Department of Labor & Industries’ website at Lni.wa.gov/Fraud.