A former San Francisco Department of Public Health employee has been accused of insurance fraud, the district attorney’s office announced Tuesday.
Emily Hegner, also known as Emily Everett, 34, was employed as a health care worker at Laguna Honda Hospital.
Hegner claimed she had injured her lower back, hip, and wrist while on the job.
Between July 2007 and September 2010, Hegner reported pain and difficulty walking during her medical evaluations and treatments, according to the district attorney’s office.
She also allegedly claimed that she needed to use a cane and wrist splint as a result of her work injuries, district attorney’s officials said.
However, prosecutors allege that Hegner completed a seven-mile portion of the Muir Woods Marathon in April 2008.
When Hegner visited her physician six days after the marathon, using a cane and requesting a handicap placard, she failed to disclose that she had run in a race, according to the district attorney’s office.
Hegner appeared before San Francisco Superior Court Judge Nancy Davis on Thursday.
She was arraigned on 10 felony charges: five counts of workers’ compensation insurance fraud, one count of preparing false documents, three counts of insurance fraud, and one count of grand theft, prosecutors said.
The charges carry a potential maximum sentence of nine years and eight months in state prison, plus payment of restitution.
Hegner posted bail, which was set at $120,000, and has been released from jail, officials said.
Erika Heidecker, Bay City News
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