County Worker Will Get Fraud Sentence

A Monterey County Health Department secretary will be sentenced next month for lying about her injuries as part of a workers' compensation claim.

Irene Serrano faces a maximum sentence of one year in Monterey County Jail, Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Jeff Nale said. "She'll be sentenced by Monterey County Superior Court Judge Richard Silver on August 10th."

Serrano in 1993 filed an injury compensation claim in which she swore that she was unable to dance or walk for long periods. Investigators then videotaped her doing those very things, Nale said.

She pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor charge of making a material false statement in support of a workers' compensation claim. She originally had been charged with two felony counts of workers' compensation fraud.