The state's Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher announced this week that investigators with the department's Division of Insurance Fraud found that Clifton Meyer, 69, and son-in-law Mark Lee, 36, both owners of Meyer & Lee Construction Inc., allegedly failed to report payroll of nearly $900,000 for 85 employees to either their staff leasing company and their insurance company, Liberty Mutual, in order to avoid paying workers' compensation premiums. As a result, say investigators, Meyer and Lee were able to avoid nearly $450,000 in premiums.
"Employers who evade premiums risk leaving workers without a safety net to pay for potential work-related injuries," Gallagher said. "And by choosing to 'go bare,' they drive up insurance costs for businesses that follow the law."
The pair surrendered to investigators at the Orange County Jail on on Feb. 8. Assistant Statewide Prosecutor John Roman is prosecuting the case for the Office of Statewide Prosecution, Central Florida Bureau.
If convicted on all charges, the men each could face up to 35 years in prison and up to $900,000 in fines.