Orlando Contractor Faces 60 Years for Workers'-Comp Fraud

The owner of an Orlando-based construction company faces up to 60 years in prison for workers’-compensation fraud involving underreporting the firm’s payroll by more than $6 million, the state Dept. of Financial Services reported recently. According to DFS, Carlos Contreras, owner of DJC Builders & Construction, claimed his company’s annual payroll was $273,786. However, state investigators determined that DJC’s payroll had totaled nearly $6.5 million between January and August 2017. By vastly underreporting that payroll figure, the firm avoided more than $1 million in workers’-compensation premiums, the state alleges.