From Pageant To Prison: California Woman Arrested For Alleged Worker’s Comp Fraud After Competing In Beauty Contest

fb2fb1Shawna Lynn Palmer, 22, dreamed of being a beauty queen may have ended in jail after she was arrested for alleged worker’s compensation fraud following the posting of video showing her competing in high heels despite her claim of an debilitating foot injury as a grocery clerk at Stater Bros. She appeared in the 2014 Miss Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix pageant. Toyota’s new slogan is “Let’s Go Places” but I think that is not exactly what Palmer had in mind.


Byron Tucker, the state’s deputy insurance commissioner, is basically quoted as saying that Palmer had beauty, bravado but a notably lack of brains in appearing in the show.

She had claimed that she was unable to work in the Riverside store due to a broken toe that prevented her from putting any weight on the foot. She said that she was required to use crutches after her injury. Shortly after filing that claim, she was seen competing in high heels in the contest.

Palmer’s new set of judges gave her a perfect three felony counts of defrauding an insurance company. How well she does will likely depend on her personal statement in court. She might want to skip the usual pageant allocution on “wanting to make the world a more beautiful place” in favor of “why I really should not go to jail.”

She could receive up to one ear in jail, three years probation and restitution of $24,000. Worse yet, I hear that stripes make you look fat.

Source: Press Enterprise

21 thoughts on “From Pageant To Prison: California Woman Arrested For Alleged Worker’s Comp Fraud After Competing In Beauty Contest”

  1. I an writing my dissertation on WC fraud in California and why the present public polices are not working.. Anyone have any ideas? References? Would be a great help! THanks!

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