Fraud Suspect’s Mother Held on Perjury Charge

A 69-year-old Camarillo woman accused of lying for her son in court was arrested Wednesday and charged with perjury--a move a defense attorney called a “despicable, cowardly act.”

Nora Mae Griffis was being held in custody in lieu of $20,000 bail late Wednesday, authorities said. She is the mother of Alan Griffis, the first defendant in the county headed for trial on charges of workers’ compensation fraud.

Her arrest brought sharp criticism from attorney George C. Eskin, who is preparing to defend Alan Griffis at trial April 3. He questioned prosecutors motives in arresting his client’s mother and called their decision “an act of desperation as they saw their case falling apart.”

“The arrest of Nora Griffis is a despicable, cowardly act, by people who are morally bankrupt,” said Eskin, noting that her arrest comes nine months after her testimony and less than two weeks before her son’s trial.

“If the defense ever pulled any stunt like this, they would be accused of intimidating a witness,” he said. “The conduct of the district attorney is utterly disgusting and reprehensible.”

A spokeswoman from the district attorney’s office could not be reached for comment.

In a statement the office released Wednesday, prosecutors allege that Nora Griffis lied under oath during a June 30, 1994, preliminary hearing for her son.

Her son is accused of misrepresenting injuries and illegally collecting workers’ compensation pay while he was working as a sales manager for a Camarillo computer company, prosecutors said.

They allege that she testified her son had not been working at BGL Technology between March 27 and Aug. 15, 1993--a period that prosecutors say he was working for the firm and collecting the benefits.

In addition, Nora Griffis, who is the bookkeeper at BGL Technology, answered a subpoena stating that requested sales logs were not kept by the company, prosecutors said. But during a later raid on the businesses, investigators seized evidence showing that she had lied, prosecutors said.

“Nora Griffis helped Alan Griffis collect $6,576 in total disability benefits under false pretenses,” the statement said. “At the same time, she helped him conceal the fact that he was capable of working and was in fact working.”

Nora Griffis, who is scheduled to be arraigned Friday, faces charges of perjury, accessory to the crime of insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit grant theft, the statement said. It said the charges carry a maximum penalty of seven years and eight months in prison.

Eskin said that Nora Griffis has yet to line up a defense attorney and that he was not sure if she would be able to make bail Wednesday night.

“As a 69-year-old woman spends the night in jail, they should search their consciences,” he said. “The people responsible for this are beneath contempt.”

Alan Griffis, a 41-year-old sales manager of the family business, was ordered to stand trial for workers’ compensation fraud in June after prosecutors outlined their case that he collected nearly $7,000 by misrepresenting injuries to his neck, back and shoulder.

As part of the evidence, prosecutors presented a surveillance videotape of the defendant riding a motorcycle, slipping a motorcycle helmet on and off and painting his garage while receiving the injury benefits.

The arrest of his mother is not the only twist in the case.

While searching the Camarillo business, district attorney investigators confiscated a computer disk that contained confidential correspondence between Alan Griffis and his attorney.

Defense attorneys urged a judge to toss out the case, arguing that prosecutors had violated Alan Griffis’ rights to a fair trial by reviewing his defense strategy.

But Superior Court Judge Charles R. McGrath refused to dismiss the case, saying he was not convinced that district attorney investigators actually saw the confidential material.