A baker from Federal Way was charged with stealing thousands of dollars in disability benefits.

Yurizan Cuevas (also known as Yurizan Cuevas Nava), 32, of Federal Way is accused of falsely claiming she couldn’t work because of workplace injuries and then accepting workers’ compensation payments.

The Washington Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting the cases based on investigations by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.

Cuevas was working as a baker and cashier at a café in the White Center neighborhood of Seattle when it was robbed in November 2010. While running from the robber, she hit a wall and injured her back.

Cuevas filed for workers’ comp, and health care providers verified she couldn’t work because of injuries from the incident. This allowed her to receive wage-replacement checks from Labor and Industries.

An Labor and Industries investigation later revealed, however, that Cuevas worked full time as a nanny, earning an estimated $3,200 a month for nearly two years starting in September 2011. According to charging papers, she also worked six weeks in 2011 as a house cleaner for another employer – performing both jobs while stating on official forms that she could not work because of her injuries.

In an interview with an Labor and Industries investigator, Cuevas acknowledged that she worked as a housekeeper and said she babysat for just a few days. But when confronted with timesheets, charging papers said, Cuevas admitted she served as a nanny from the time her charge was three months old to two years old. She’s accused of stealing more than $24,800 in wage-replacement checks from the state.

“Claiming you’re unable to work and accepting workers’ comp checks while working another job cheats legitimately injured employees and their employers,” said Elizabeth Smith, assistant director ofLabor and Industries’ Fraud Prevention and Labor Standards. “We aggressively investigate and pursue scammers so we can protect the system that helps workers heal and return to work.”