View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/east/2004/10/19/47017.htm
New Jersey’s Division of Criminal Justice Director Vaughn McKoy announced that the Division of Criminal Justice – Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor has obtained a State Grand Jury indictment charging an Essex County woman and her mother with allegedly selling fictitious motor vehicle documents.
According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden-Brown, Kamillah Ali, 34, of Newark, Essex County, was charged with conspiracy (2nd degree), six counts of sale of simulated documents (3rd degree) and two counts of simulating a motor vehicle insurance identification card (3rd degree). If convicted of all counts, she faces up to 50 years in state prison and a fine of up to $270,000.
The indictment also charges Ali’s mother, Julia Ali, 62, same address, with sale of simulated document (3rd degree). If convicted, Julia Ali faces up to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000. Additionally, the defendants face the possibility of the imposition of civil insurance fraud fines pursuant to the Insurance Fraud Prevention Act.
The indictment alleges that between Oct. 3 and Oct. 12, 2001, Kamillah and Julia Ali sold fictitious motor vehicle related documents from their home. An investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice – Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor determined that on at least three occasions, the defendants sold false documents, including two temporary registration tags, two automobile insurance identification cards, a New Jersey automobile title for a stolen vehicle, a New Jersey driver’s license, a social security card and a birth certificate.
According to the indictment, an undercover investigator with the Division of Criminal Justice – Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor purchased the fictitious documents for more than $1,000. Investigative experience with similar cases has reportedly indicated that there is an active black market in New Jersey for identity related phony documents. Phony records are bought and sold every day to include Motor Vehicle Commission records such as drivers licenses, commercial drivers licenses, social security cards, vehicle registrations, and birth certificates.
These records, which are sold for amounts ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars each, are used for identity theft scams, phony insurance claims, thefts, and other illegal purposes.
The indictment was handed up on Oct. 15 to Mercer County Superior Court Judge Linda Feinberg, the Assignment Judge in charge of the State Grand Jury. The case will be venued in Essex County where the defendants will be ordered to appear in Court to answer the charges on a date to be determined.
“In a post Sept. 11 world, the selling of fictitious documents is a dangerous crime,” Gooden-Brown said. “The Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor is committed protecting New Jersey’s citizens from unscrupulous acts by combating insurance fraud, which can strike in many forms. This indictment demonstrates our resolve to vigorously investigate and prosecute this type of activity.”