Fall River business owner and daughter indicted on fraud charges

The owner of a Fall River-based temporary employment agency and her daughter have been indicted on charges of workers’ compensation insurance fraud in connection with failing to disclose to the agency’s insurance company the true size of its payroll, Attorney General Maura Healey announced.

Rossy Noriega, formerly known as Francisca Noriega, age 52, of Providence, was the president and sole owner of New Diamond Work, Inc. Her daughter, Sendy Noriega, age 30, also of Providence, worked for New Diamond. The Noriegas were indicted by a Statewide Grand Jury last week. Rossy Noriega was indicted on two counts of Workers’ Compensation Fraud and one count of Larceny over $250. Sendy Noriega was indicted on four counts of Workers’ Compensation Fraud and one count of Larceny over $250. The Noriegas will be arraigned on the charges in Bristol Superior Court at a later date.

This investigation was referred to the Attorney General’s Office by the state’s Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB). Investigators allege that between 2009 and 2014, New Diamond underreported in insurance company audits the number of employees it had and how much those employees were paid in order to dramatically reduce the insurance premium it would be charged for workers’ compensation insurance. As a result, New Diamond evaded over $106,000 in insurance premiums. New Diamond Work, Inc. dissolved in 2017.