CDI investigated this case

“Collecting Workers’ Comp benefits under false pretenses is not a victimless crime. It diverts resources from workers who legitimately need them and increases costs for employers and the workers’ compensation system.”

CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

SACRAMENTO – On September 14, 2026, Rona Christina Means was convicted by a jury of:

• felony presenting a false or fraudulent insurance claim;
• misdemeanor presenting false or misleading information in support of an insurance claim;
• and misdemeanor making a knowingly false or fraudulent statement to obtain workers’ compensation benefits.

Means was working as a SacRT bus operator and claimed she was assaulted and repeatedly punched by a passenger on July 25, 2018. She later sought workers’ compensation benefits for her injuries.  The California Department of Insurance (CDI) investigated the case, including interviewing Means, interviewing other SacRT employees, doctors and the insurance company.  There was also bus surveillance video from multiple camera angles that did not support Means’ claim that she was repeatedly punched or otherwise attacked.

Means faces a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison and two years in county jail.  Means also faces approximately $45,500 in victim restitution.

Sentencing is set for October 23, 2026.