Worker With L-I Dog-Related PTSD Busted for Canine Breeding

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L-I) has filed fraud charges against a Western WA woman.

   The woman was bitten by a dog while working as a meter reader

The story goes back to 2007.  Officials say 56-year-old  Linda Lashell Jordan was later advertising a dog-breeding business online, at the same time she was claiming she was not able to work because of canine-sparked PTSD.

17 years ago, Jordan was working as a meter reader for the Pacific County Public Utility District when she sustained injuries from a dog attack and was deemed unable to perform her duties. According to L-I:

"Her medical providers confirmed she couldn’t work due to her on-the-job injuries, which is one of the requirements to receive wage-replacement payments. In 2014, for instance, her doctor confirmed she fainted whenever she saw dogs and could not return to her job, according to charging papers."

However, in 2018, while she was receiving wage replacement payments from L-I, an investigator learned Jordan was selling dogs online through Facebook, using her maiden name and her husband's name. An investigator visited her home posing as an interested online buyer for some bricks her husband was selling.

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During the visit, Jordan warned the investigator about one of several dogs in the home she claimed they were rescuing, that it might "bite."   She had also claimed she could not operate a car, but during the investigation she was spotted driving her car 9 times.

Investigators took their evidence to Jordan's physician and care providers.  According to L-I:

"The psychiatrist changed Jordan’s previous diagnosis from post-traumatic stress disorder and dog phobia to malingering—pretending an illness or injury to avoid work—charging papers said. He found that Jordan was actually capable of returning to work as a meter reader as early as September 2016."

Using the online dog-breeding business and driving evidence, L-I filed fraud charges against her.  This week, after a lengthy court process, she pleaded guilty to taking $162,000 in fraudulent wage-replacement money between 2016 and 2019.

Part of her guilty plea includes repaying the $162K.