James Primmer pleads guilty to fraudulently obtaining payments

A Geelong man swindled his way into claiming tens of thousands of dollars in worker compensation payments using fake documents, a court has heard.

James Primmer appeared in the Geelong Magistrates Court after swindling $75,000 from his insurer using fake documents.

A Geelong man swindled his way into claiming tens of thousands of dollars in worker compensation payments using fake documents, a court has heard.

James Primmer, 36, appeared in Geelong Magistrates Court last week, and pleaded guilty to a single charge of fraudulently obtaining payments.

He was convicted, sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order (CCO), and ordered to repay $75,014.

The court heard the machinery operator began receiving workers’ compensation after injuring his lower back and leg in 2014.

He was receiving weekly payments until a WorkSafe investigation uncovered that he had been using falsified certificates of capacity since May 2021.

WorkSafe investigators also found that between June 2021 and February 2022, Primmer had returned to work with three different employers, a fact he did not tell his insurer.

Return to Work Victoria executive director Jason Lardelli said instances of fraudulent behaviour, while relatively rare, were deeply disappointing.

“Injured workers rely on us to provide support and help them return to work and it is simply unacceptable to fraudulently take money intended for those in legitimate need,” Mr Lardelli said.

“Thankfully, the vast majority do the right thing, but those who deliberately try to deceive the system for personal gain will be found.”

Originally published as James Primmer pleads guilty to fraudulently obtaining payments