An Adelanto man who claimed he was bitten by a pit bull and injured while working as a cable installer has been charged with felony workers’ compensation fraud.

On March 27, 2008, Dario Rudas-Ortega, 53, reported that he had sustained an injury during the course of his employment. According to Senior Investigator Hector Vidal, Rudas-Ortega claimed he was bitten by a pit bull on his hands and forearms, and later alleged he sustained a left knee injury during the same attack. “Rudas-Ortega is charged with making a false statement in support of this claim for benefits, as well as failing to disclose information regarding his prior medical condition and prior medical treatment to the same body part,” Vidal said. It is alleged that as a result of his false statements and omissions, Rudas-Ortega received workers’ compensation benefits to which he was not entitled.

The case was referred to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Worker’s Compensation Fraud Unit in 2012 by the Zenith insurance company, after the company’s internal investigation concluded that false statements were made.Felony charges were filed April 14, 2014 (see attached complaint), and Rudas-Ortega was taken into custody by District Attorney Investigators and transported to West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga where he was released on his own recognizance.

If convicted on all counts, Rudas-Ortega faces more than five years in County Prison. Arraignment is scheduled for June 19 in San Bernardino Superior Court. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney David Simon of the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fraud Unit.