The proprietor of a San Jose roofing company is facing charges he falsified information for his employees to avoid insurance premiums, according to prosecutors.
Charlie Duong, the 64-year-old owner of CD All Roofing, was arraigned Monday on insurance fraud felonies, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. He faces jail time if convicted.
Reached by phone following the hearing, Duong said he had no comment on the case.
The alleged $460,000 scheme came to light after Duong’s second-in-command was killed in a crash while returning from a job on June 19, 2020, according to prosecutors.
Duong reportedly asked an employee who survived the collision to falsely tell investigators the victim had just started working for the company and was only part-time, the district attorney’s office said. The survivor refused and told investigators the victim was in fact an eight-year employee who worked six days a week.
In addition, Duong also allegedly tried to show the victim was not on the job when the crash occurred, even though he was riding in a company truck and returning from a job at the time, according to prosecutors.
The falsified records ended up cutting benefits to the victim’s wife, the district attorney’s office said.
“Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “This felony crime raises our premiums and leaves innocent workers and their families exposed to financial catastrophe. We will never look the other way.”