Sacramento welder arraigned on felony workers’ compensation fraud charges
News: 2021 Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ahmad Zaki Noori, 41, of Sacramento, was arraigned yesterday on two felony counts of workers’ compensation insurance fraud after allegedly misrepresenting symptoms following a work-related injury in order to receive $21,000 in undeserved benefits.
On July 16, 2019, Noori, while working as a welder, sustained a head injury and contusions on multiple parts of his body. Following his injury, a workers’ compensation claim was filed with his employer’s insurance company and Noori began receiving workers’ compensation payments. Following the injury, Noori presented himself as someone with severe amnesia and as someone who had difficulty performing daily functions of living, like speaking, walking or driving.
An investigation by the California Department of Insurance found Noori misrepresented his symptoms to medical professionals and those handling his claim. Undercover surveillance showed Noori speaking, walking, and driving – all functions he claimed not to be able to do as a result of the injury. The surveillance also showed him performing duties at an automobile dismantling yard, like loading items onto a flatbed trailer and changing a spare tire.
In addition, two former co-workers of Noori’s reported they saw him out and about acting normally. One co-worker reported seeing Noori inside a retail store and that he was walking unassisted, laughing, and speaking on the phone. The second co-worker reported seeing Noori at another retail store and that he drove a vehicle into the parking lot, exited the vehicle and was able to walk with no walking aids.
After watching video surveillance of Noori, his doctor reported the actions Noori was performing in the video were drastically different than the actions he was performing during his office visits. The doctor also reported that Noori showed no evidence of neurocognitive or orthopedic deficits during the entirety of this claim period. Due to Noori’s misrepresentations, he received $21,000 in undeserved workers’ compensation payments and his employers’ insurance company lost an additional $80,679 in medical, legal and investigation costs.
Noori was arrested at his residence on April 13, 2021. He is scheduled to return to court on May 20, 2021. This case is being prosecuted by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
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Led by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, the California Department of Insurance is the consumer protection agency for the nation's largest insurance marketplace and safeguards all of the state’s consumers by fairly regulating the insurance industry. Under the Commissioner’s direction, the Department uses its authority to protect Californians from insurance rates that are excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory, oversee insurer solvency to pay claims, set standards for agents and broker licensing, perform market conduct reviews of insurance companies, resolve consumer complaints, and investigate and prosecute insurance fraud. Consumers are urged to call 1-800-927-4357 with any questions or contact us at www.insurance.ca.gov via webform or online chat. Non-media inquiries should be directed to the Consumer Hotline at 800-927-4357. Teletypewriter (TTY), please dial 800-482-4833.
