CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Kanawha County high school teacher admitted on Monday to failing to inform the state’s insurance program of his divorce, costing the state thousands of dollars to provide coverage for an ineligible person.
Thomas Watkins, 60, of Mount Carbon, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a scheme to defraud the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency.
According to court documents, Watkins failed to alert the proper people about the divorce, resulting in the state spending $60,000 on coverage for his ex-wife.
Watkins was a teacher at Riverside High School in 2006 when the divorce happened.
Watkins was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $60,000 in restitution to PEIA and Kanawha County Schools.