L&I says Yelm man who claimed bar fight injury happened at work now faces theft charge

A Yelm man faces a felony theft charge after state authorities say he claimed a bar fight injury happened at work in order to collect $1,018 in medical benefits.

Chuck Wayne Riccio, 38, is charged with second-degree theft for allegedly filing a fraudulent workers’ compensation claim. He was scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Thurston County Superior Court.

According to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Riccio filed the claim in October 2018, saying he fractured his right hand while at work at a bathware manufacturer.

Weeks later, someone who knows Riccio told L&I the injury actually happened during an August 2018 fight at the White Horse bar in Yelm, according to charging documents. The person provided a text message Riccio sent saying “i kinda said it happened at work,” according to L&I.

During L&I’s investigation, workers at the bathware manufacturer disputed Riccio’s account. His supervisor said Riccio reported his injury five days after starting at the company, but Riccio listed a different date on his L&I report.

Riccio could face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine, according to charging documents.