A former UPS mechanic pleaded no contest in a Sacramento County insurance fraud case for claiming he was injured in a workplace incident that prosecutors said never happened.

The Sacramento County District Attorney’s office announced that Derrick Wayne Hodge pled no contest to felony insurance fraud and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, 2 years of formal probation and was ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution to Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.

Hodge was a mechanic at the United Parcel Service (UPS) facility in Grass Valley. On March 3, 2023, Hodge claimed he was injured while walking out of a door at the UPS facility when he said a “microwave-sized” chunk of ice fell from the roof and struck him on the back of his head and neck.

Hodge sought medical treatment from multiple physicians for injuries resulting from the incident. He was eventually placed off work due to his complaints.

In 2025, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Insurance Fraud Unit began an investigation into the case after being informed that Hodge was suspected of filing a false injury claim.

Video surveillance from the date and time of the reported incident showed that nothing fell from the UPS facility roof and Hodge was not injured.

In addition, surveillance video after the claimed incident showed Hodge engaging in activities beyond what he told his doctors he could perform.

These false statements resulted in losses of $50,000 to UPS and Liberty Mutual Insurance for coverage of worker’s compensation injuries.

Charges were filed in Sacramento County Superior Court, case 25FE023089, on November 24, 2025, and Hodge was arraigned on December 5. A settlement conference took place on June 18, and the case was resolved by way of the defendants plea.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney John MacKenzie, Insurance Fraud Unit.