Video of a nurse in Delaware County teaching intense workout classes while she collected workers' compensation for a shoulder injury has landed her in handcuffs, the Delaware County District Attorney's Office announced Monday.
Jamie Scott, 36, of the 100 block of Athena Lane in Ridley Township, was arrested Thursday at her home, according to a news release from the D.A.'s office. Scott, who worked as a registered nurse at Crozer-Keystone Health System's Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park, faces felony charges for false insurance claim, theft by deception and criminal use of a communication facility, prosecutors said.
Scott's charges stem from an Aug. 24, 2014 report she made stating that she injured her shoulder at work while lifting a heavy patient, officials said. Over the next several months, the nurse allegedly repeatedly reported pain in her neck and shoulder that prevented her from working. After undergoing treatment, Scott requested to return to full duty at work in late January, according to the D.A.'s office.
On Feb. 7, however -- the day she reported back to full duty at work -- officials said Scott helped lift a patient, immediately complained of shoulder pain again, and was unable to work the next day. Over the next two months, she continued to seek medical attention for the injury and reported to doctors that it was not improving, prosecutors said.
As a result of her reported injury, authorities said, Scott received medical and other benefits from Crozer-Keystone. The health system shelled out a total of $50,294 for the nurse's allegedly fraudulent injury, plus $12,000 in outstanding expenses.
During April, though, authorities said the nurse who claimed to be injured was caught on video at the Ridley Township YMCA instructing both TRX resistance-band training and intense spinning classes. The footage, according to the D.A.'s office, "showed Scott having full range of motion in her shoulder and arm," and showed her performing resistance-band pull-ups, squats and wrist-band pull-ups, among other activities.
Scott's time cards at the YMCA, according to the Delco D.A., showed that she instructed 84 times since the date of her reported injury, and on one occasion, taught two classes in one day.
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“Scott worked this illegal scam for nearly a year so she did not have to work, defrauding TriStar Risk Management and her employer, Crozer-Keystone Health System, repeatedly lying in her workers’ compensation case and to her doctors,” District Attorney Jack Whelan said. “Her arrest sends a clear message that those who commit insurance fraud will be identified and held accountable for their actions.”
Scott's alleged scam finally caught up with her, officials said, and she was arrested Thursday. She was arraigned and a judge set her bail at $25,000. She is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing June 29.
The Delco D.A.'s office urged anyone with suspicions of insurance fraud to contact its Insurance Fraud Unit at 610-891-4126.
