Fraud

Insurance

Trump Could Be Investigated for Tax Fraud, D.A. Says for First Time

By Elroy Mariano 2 weeks ago

The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which has been locked in a yearlong legal battle with President Trump over obtaining his tax returns, suggested for the first time in a court filing on Monday that it had grounds to investigate him and his businesses for tax fraud.

The filing by the office of the district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., offered rare insight into the office’s investigation of the president and his business dealings, which began more than two years ago.

Mr. Vance, a Democrat, has never revealed the scope of his office’s criminal inquiry, citing grand jury secrecy. The investigation has been stalled by the fight over a subpoena that the office issued in August 2019 for eight years of the president’s tax returns.

Lawyers for Mr. Trump have said the subpoena should be blocked, calling it “wildly overbroad” and politically motivated. Mr. Vance responded to that argument in a

Insurance

Auto insurance fraud nearly triples in Manitoba: MPI

By Elroy Mariano 3 weeks ago

WINNIPEG —
As of the end of July, 33 people are facing a total of 88 charges related to auto-insurance fraud, according to Manitoba Public Insurance.

MPI said this number is nearly triple compared to the year before, which saw 30 charges against 10 people in the same timeframe.

The Crown corporation attributed this increase partly to its refocused efforts in reviewing suspicious cases, as well as a business change to pursue charges and deny coverage to emphasize that insurance fraud is a crime.

“The corporation has seen a tripling of our fraud-related charges until the end of July compared to the previous period,” said MPI’s Brian Smiley.

“This tells us a number of things, that we have a new dedicated refocus on investigating suspicious claims and business view that insurance fraud is a criminal act.”

Smiley noted MPI has been training frontline staff to recognize what a suspicious claim

Insurance

Auto insurance fraud increases threefold in 2020: Manitoba Public Insurance

By Elroy Mariano 3 weeks ago

The number of Manitobans charged with auto insurance fraud has nearly tripled since last year, says Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI).

a sign on the side of a building: Manitoba Public Insurance says auto insurance fraud has tripled this year.

© Bockstael Construction/Supplied
Manitoba Public Insurance says auto insurance fraud has tripled this year.

The insurer said Wednesday that by the end of July 2020, there had been 88 fraud charges laid against 33 people — a sharp rise from 30 charges against 10 people over the same period in 2019.

MPI executive Curtis Wennberg said part of the uptick is due to MPI’s increased efforts in investigating suspicious claims.

MPI’s special investigation unit (SIU) handles suspicious claims, and its work in 1,200-plus investigations saved more than $10 million for MPI ratepayers last year, the Crown corporation said.

Read more: Manitoba Public Insurance to ‘modernize’ insurance options by spring 2021

“MPI has adopted a business change to emphasize that insurance fraud is a crime, and pursue both a denial of

Insurance

N.J. nurse loses license for role in multimillion insurance fraud scheme, Attorney General says

By Elroy Mariano 3 weeks ago

A Pennsville nurse who allegedly prescribed creams and vitamins to defraud insurance companies out of more than $6 million will permanently lose her license, the Attorney General’s office announced Friday.

Ashley Morgan Lyons-Valenti, 63, a Registered Professional Nurse and Advanced Practice Nurse, is accused of submitting fraudulent claims and prescribing medicine to patients who didn’t need them in exchange for $90,000 in kickbacks, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a press release.

The Swedesboro resident faces a 33-count federal indictment, which alleges she and two other people scammed insurance companies out of millions of dollars.

Lyons-Valenti was prescribing vitamin combinations, pain creams, scar creams, anti-fungal creams and libido creams — typically the job of a licensed pharmacist — when they were medically unnecessary, according to the news release. She also claimed to have reviewed medical records and completed exams on patients she hadn’t met.

Insurance paid out more than $1.25

Insurance

Motor insurance fraud up six per cent in 2019

By Elroy Mariano 3 weeks ago

There were 58,000 fraudulent motor insurance claims in 2019, a rise of six per cent on 2018’s figures.

Data from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) shows this drove a five per cent increase in overall fraudulent claims, with 107,000 registered in the year.

Motor insurance fraud remained the most common type, though the total value of £605 million was actually lower than 2018.

Around 75 per cent of these claims contained a personal injury element, which the ABI says could be because personal injury reforms are being introduced in April 2021.

Mark Allen, manager of fraud and financial crime at ABI, said: “The industry makes no apology for its relentless pursuit of insurance cheats, to protect genuine customers, who end up footing the bill through their insurance premiums. Insurers will not hesitate to ensure that fraudsters seeking to profit at the misery and expense of others

Insurance

San Ramon defense contractors admit to insurance fraud scheme

By Elroy Mariano 3 weeks ago

MARTINEZ — A mother and her son will serve a year of house arrest and pay a total of more than $500,000 in restitution and fees, as part of a plea deal with Contra Costa prosecutors to settle an insurance fraud case, the District Attorney announced Wednesday.

Selina Singh, 57, and Kabir Singh, 30, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to commit insurance premium fraud, along with a white collar crime enhancement, as part of the plea deal. Most of the restitution will go to the Employment Development Department “for underpayment of tax liability,” court records show.

The defendants own a company that contracts with the U.S. Military. County prosecutors say that when one of their employees hurt himself while working on a U.S. Army fort in Monterey county, and was told by his employers not to report the injury, it was discovered they were under-representing their payrolls to evade $2

Insurance

Insurance Fraud Detection Market Outlook Up-To-Date Development Data and Market Trends Forecast From 2019-2023

By Elroy Mariano 3 weeks ago

The MarketWatch News Department was not involved in the creation of this content.

Sep 11, 2020 (PRNews Times via COMTEX) —
Insurance fraud takes place when an insurance company, adjuster, agent, or consumer commits a measured fraud to get an unlawful gain. In the context of China-US trade war and global economic volatility and uncertainty, it will have a big influence on this market. Insurance Fraud Detection Report by Material, Application, and Geography – Global Forecast to 2023 is a professional and comprehensive research report on the world’s major regional market conditions, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific) and the main countries (United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China).

The research report not only offers readers a broad overview of the international industry but also provides a granular assessment of the regional market in several countries and regions. Furthermore, the report consists a

Insurance

NY Charges Johnson & Johnson With Insurance Fraud Over Opioid Claims

By Elroy Mariano 4 weeks ago

New York State filed civil charges on Thursday accusing Johnson & Johnson of insurance fraud for downplaying the risks of opioid painkillers, including to doctors and elderly patients.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the charges by New York‘s Department of Financial Services in that regulator’s opioid industry probe follow charges against Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Allergan Plc, Endo International Plc, and Mallinckrodt Plc.

Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals affiliate were accused of specifically targeting elderly patients for opioid treatment despite the risks, and in marketing materials characterizing opioid addiction as a myth.

“Misrepresentation of opioids to consumers for profit is inexcusable,” Cuomo said in a statement.

Johnson & Johnson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

New York said Johnson & Johnson manufactured opioid products in the state such as

Insurance

Military contractors convicted of $2 million insurance, tax fraud scheme

By Elroy Mariano 4 weeks ago

Military contractors convicted of $2 million insurance, tax fraud scheme

Contractors were hired for work at Fort Hunter Liggett in Monterey County

Two military contractors were convicted of $2 million in insurance and tax fraud scheme, according to the Monterey County District Attorney. Selina Singh, 57, and Kabir Singh, 30, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and related felonies. They face a maximum prison sentence of 11 years and 6 months, according to the DA’s office. In April 2016, the defendant owned two military subcontractor companies – Bara Infoware, Inc. and Federal Solutions Group, Inc. The companies did business out of San Ramon, California. Each of those companies had construction contracts involving facilities at Fort Hunter Liggett in Monterey County.When an employee was injured on the job Kabir told them to tell accident investigators it didn’t happen at work. Kabir later

Insurance

Woman arrested for collecting over $85k in unemployment insurance fraud – VVNG.com

By Elroy Mariano 4 weeks ago

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (VVNG.com) — Authorities are searching for fraud victims after a Barstow woman was arrested for filing over $85,000 in unemployment insurance fraud.

It all happened on September 14th when Victorville deputies B. Moreland and Deputy E. Smith were patrolling in the area of Desert Knolls Drive and 7th Street and pulled over a vehicle.

During the stop, deputies learned the driver of the vehicle, identified as 28-year-old Brittany Monae Espinoza, did not have a driver’s license, and had a firearm in the car, according to a sheriff’s news release.

The female driver consented to a search and that’s when deputy Moreland located multiple California State Employment Development Department (EDD) benefit debit cards, all bearing different names, none of which belonged to Espinoza. Also located were numerous lists containing names, social security numbers, and other personal information belonging to unknown people.

“Through investigation, it was discovered Espinoza had