Amador County - District Attorney Todd Riebe announced Tuesday the conviction of a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation employee for workers’ compensation insurance fraud. On January 15, 2009, Joseph Robert Maita, 49, of Ione, was sentenced to 40 days in jail and three years of supervised probation after pleading guilty in Amador County Superior Court to one count of insurance fraud, a misdemeanor. Maita was also ordered to pay full restitution to CDCR and a fine of $500 to the California Workers' Compensation Fraud Account. As part of the plea agreement, Maita must also reimburse $3,000 to CDCR for investigative expenses. A multi-agency investigation revealed the defendant filed a workers’ compensation claim on March 4, 2008, alleging a knee injury while unloading a food truck at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione. He received benefits and medical treatment as a result of the alleged injury. On April 1, 2008, the treating doctor released Maita back to work on modified duty and indicated Maita was to return to full duty on April 7, 2008. Maita did not return to work or turn in the note to his employer and continued to receive workers’ compensation benefits. Investigators also discovered an altered doctor’s note, which extended Maita’s time-off from work. When asked about the fraudulent document, Maita admitted to investigators he changed the return to work date on the doctor’s note. The investigation included assistance by Senior Special Agent Russ Pettis and Special Agent Tricia Ramos from the CDCR Workers' Compensation Fraud High Impact Team, the California Department of Insurance Fraud Division, and the District Attorney’s Workers’ Compensation Fraud Unit. The Fraud Unit investigates insurance fraud cases in Amador, Placer, and Calaveras County through a grant provided by the California Department of Insurance. Staff Report (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).