Government

Corrections Officer Charged With Workers’ Compensation Fraud


Carl Wayne Stokes
Credit: Bucks County District Attorney’s Office

A Bucks County corrections officer has been accused of workers’ compensation fraud.

Carl Wayne Stokes, 51, of the Upper Black Eddy section of Bridgeton Township, has been accused of taking undercover detectives on a guided fishing trip in summer in exchange for money while he received workers’ compensation for a November 2017 on-the-job injury that happened at the Bucks County Correctional Facility in Doylestown Township.

Bucks County Detectives wrote in court papers filed this week that Facebook posts and images showed Stokes offering guided fishing tours through a charter service. He reportedly published posts in April that indicated he was busy at work.

Detectives working undercover set up a half-day outing with Stokes and ended up taking it. The detectives left from Wyoming County on the Susquehanna River and Stokes was able to move about “without impediment,” according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.

Stokes allegedly told the undercover detectives he had previously worked for the Bucks County Sheriff’s Office and had been receiving workers’ compensation benefits for an injury sustained while working there in 2015. In addition, he reportedly told investigators he was booked  through the summer.

The undercover trip cost $240 with $100 being paid as a deposit via bank money order, authorities said.

The money order was deposited in Stoke’s Penn Community Bank account, according to court papers.

A few days after the trip, a detective spoke with Stokes and he said he made $100 “here or there” and maybe made $1,100 in total, authorities said.

During conversation, Stokes told the detective he did not make much money from the trips and the payments went to cover gas and supplies, authorities said.

In speaking with Stokes’ attorney, they stated that he had a previous workers’ compensation claim related to a car crash suspended after social media posts contradicted his stated medical limitations.

Detectives said they eventually uncovered paperwork filed with the state in May by Stokes. In them, a doctor said his condition was unchanged he should have “permanent restrictions.” He also reportedly stated he was not employed.

Bucks County Detectives first became aware of Stokes after a referral from an investigator working for the Bucks County Controller’s Office.

Bucks County Controller Neale Dougherty, the county’s fiscal watchdog, said in a statement his office turned over information on Stokes to prosecutors and detectives once they obtained it.

“Upon receipt of information concerning the actions of Mr. Stokes, I immediately completed a review and referred the matter to the District Attorney. The investigation has resulted in criminal charges being filed by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office,” Dougherty said in a statement. 

The controller said a hotline has been established to make reports of misuse of county resources. The reports can be filed anonymously by calling 267-884-5922.

Stokes was arraigned this week before a district judge on charges of workers’ compensation fraud, theft and unsworn falsification. He was released on $100,000 unsecured bail.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.


About the author

Tom Sofield

Tom Sofield has covered news in Bucks County for 12 years for both newspaper and online publications. Tom’s reporting has appeared locally, nationally, and internationally across several mediums. He is proud to report on news in the county where he lives and to have created a reliable publication that the community deserves.