UPS mechanic convicted of insurance fraud for fake injury, Sacramento DA says
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- Derrick Wayne Hodge pleaded no contest and was convicted of felony insurance fraud.
- Hodge was sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution.
- Security camera video showed nothing fell from the roof, and Hodge was not injured.
A former UPS mechanic on Thursday pleaded no contest in a Sacramento County insurance fraud case for claiming he was injured in a workplace incident that never happened, prosecutors said.
Derrick Wayne Hodge was convicted of felony insurance fraud and sentenced to 90 days in jail, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office announced in a news release. As part of his conviction, the court ordered Hodge to pay $50,000 in restitution to Liberty Mutual Insurance.
Hodge was a mechanic at the UPS facility in Grass Valley in Nevada County. Prosecutors said Hodge claimed he was injured on March 3, 2023, at the UPS facility when a “microwaved-sized” chunk of ice fell from the roof and struck the back of head and neck.
Hodge sought medical treatment from physicians for injuries from the incident, and he was eventually placed off work due to complaints of pain. The DA’s Insurance Fraud Unit began an investigation on 2025 after receiving information that alleged Hodge had filed a false injury claim.
Prosecutors said security camera video of the day and time of the reported injury showed that nothing fell from the UPS facility’s roof and Hodge was not injured.
Surveillance video after the reported injury showed Hodge engaging in activities beyond what he told his doctors he could perform, according to the DA’s Office.
Prosecutors said Hodge’s false claim of injury resulted in a loss of $50,000 to UPS and Liberty Mutual Insurance for coverage of workers’ compensation insurance.
This type of insurance fraud increases the cost of insurance premiums for businesses and put additional strain on the workers’ compensation system, which leads to slower processing times for legitimate claims, according to the DA’s Office.
