One would think that if you’re planning to game the system, you should plan on keeping a low profile. But that’s simply not how one California beauty queen decided to play it—and she’s not smiling quite so broadly these days.
Shawna Lynn Palmer of Riverside, a contestant in the 2014 Miss Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix beauty pageant, was captured on video wearing high heels and walking around on stage … but wait, there’s nothing abnormal about that, right?
Wrong! The beauty queen had filed for workers’ compensation after she fractured her toe at work. At multiple doctor visits, she had said that she could not place any weight on her foot, move it in any direction, or wear a shoe for any length of time.
In response to these complaints, the doctor provided an orthopedic shoe and crutches. The doctor also gave her orders to refrain from working and to elevate her foot whenever possible.
While she was collecting workers’ comp benefits, she had participated in two beauty pageants, one in which a YouTube video surfaced of her wearing heels and walking with no visible discomfort. Shortly after the video surfaced, she was busted for workers’ comp fraud.
If she is convicted, she could face up to 1 year in county jail and 3 years of probation, and she could have to pay $24,000 in fines. Not quite the type of spotlight she was hoping for, we can assume.
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