WBRZ - Baton Rouge

A former claims adjuster has been sentenced to 46 months in prison for stealing nearly $300,000
from a worker's compensation group in Lafayette.

Edward Paul Verdin, of Franklin, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and money laundering.

Over a two-year period, prosecutors say Verdin diverted over $297,000 from the Louisiana Oilfield Contractor's Association, where he worked as a claims adjuster, to Legal Risk Management Consultants, a fictitious private investigation firm that he created in July 2007.

Verdin will have to pay $285,395 in restitution once he's released from prison.