Press Release  AG's Office Secures Indictments Against Milford Construction Company Owner for Workers' Compensation Insurance Fraud and Larceny

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) announced today that Edwin Santiago Bueno, 40, of Milford, was indicted by a Worcester Grand Jury on four counts of Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fraud and one count of Larceny Over $1,200 in relation to a workers’ compensation insurance fraud scheme that Bueno allegedly orchestrated over the course of four years. Bueno is scheduled to be arraigned in the Worcester Superior Court on July 14, 2026.  

According to the AGO, Bueno owned and operated ESB Construction, Inc., a Milford-based construction company. As the owner, Bueno was responsible for providing workers’ compensation insurance for all employees and uninsured subcontractors. Workers’ compensation insurance premiums are based, in part, on the type of work performed. Roofing work, for example, carries a higher premium than siding work or painting.  

The AGO alleges that between June 2020 and May 2023, Bueno fraudulently misclassified subcontractors as siding workers or painters when they were performing roofing work, in order to avoid paying higher premiums to his insurance company. By misclassifying his workers, Bueno allegedly evaded approximately $20,194 in workers’ compensation premiums owed to Ace American Insurance Company, which is administered by Travelers Insurance Company.  

Upon discovering Bueno’s misclassification, Travelers notified the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts (IFB), which confirmed that ESB had been performing roofing work while Bueno classified his subcontractors under other, less expensive categories.   

All of these charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.   

This matter is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Valentine and Senior Criminal Investigator Loreny Bernabe of the AGO’s Insurance and Unemployment Fraud Division, along with Victim Witness Advocate Lia Panetta of the AGO’s Victim Service Division and investigators at the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts.  

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