A Pierce County, Wash. man who removed and installed roofs while claiming he was too injured to work pleaded guilty to stealing workers’ compensation benefits.
According to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries [L&I], Patrick Dean Farthing, 64, pleaded guilty recently to third-degree theft, a gross misdemeanor. The Lakewood man had been running his own roofing business at the same time he was receiving wage replacement payments intended for injured workers, an L&I investigation determined in 2020.