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| Photo Credit: AP. |
“Yellowstone” actor Q’Orianka Kilcher is facing charges for illegally collecting nearly $97,000in disability benefits while working on the TV show, The Associated Press quoted an announcement by authorities on Monday.
The
32-year-old Kiilcher of North Hollywood is facing two felony counts of workers’
compensation insurance fraud, a statement from the California Department of
Insurance said, The Associated Press reported.
Kilcher
portrayed Pocahontas in the 2005 movie “The New World” and was in 2019’s “Dora
and the Lost City of Gold,” the news website said. While working on “Dora” in
October 2018, Kilcher allegedly injured her neck and right shoulder, the
insurance department said, according to the news websitre.
A year later, Kilcher told a doctor handling
the insurance claim that she has been offered work but could not take it
because of severe neck pain from her injury, The Associated Press cited a
statement from the insurance department.
In 2020
Kilcher played Angela Blue Thunder for four episodes of the Paramount Network
Western, which stars Kevin Costner.
The
Associated Press reported that from 2019 through 2021, Kilcher received $96,838
in temporary disability benefits, but an investigation later discovered that
Kilcher had worked on “Yellowstone” for several months in 2019 during the
period she claimed to be disabled.
“According
to records, she returned to the doctor and started receiving disability
benefits five days after last working on the show,” the statement said.
In May
Kilcher surrendered and was arraigned on the charges in May, according to the
statement.
In a
statement her attorney, Michael Becker, said that Kilcher was a passenger in a
production vehicle when she was hurt, adding that would vigorously defend
herself in court and wants to be given the presumption of incidence during her
trial..