Latest Fraud Headlines
All the headlines from our Fraud Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Two Florida Insurance Scam Artists Lose Mail Fraud Appeal
Feb 5 2009 // Two men sentenced to federal prison for cheating investors out of more than $100 million in an insurance scheme have failed to convince an appeals court that they were unfairly convicted of mail fraud. The 11th U.S....
Ex-Louisiana Insurance CEO Pleads Not Guilty to Theft
Feb 4 2009 // The former chief of Louisiana’s state-backed insurance company has pleaded not guilty in a criminal case that accuses him of fraudulently spending the firm’s money for personal travel and entertainment. Terry...
2008 Insurance Fraud Hall of Shame
Feb 3 2009 // A serial home arsonist, an elected judge who made phony auto injury claims, and dentists who did worthless root canals on children were among the nine swindlers elected to the Insurance Hall of Shame. The Coalition Against...
Maryland to Join National System to Prevent Auto Fraud
Feb 3 2009 // The U.S. Department of Justice says Maryland must soon implement a national computer system that warns buyers if a vehicle was stolen or previously damaged. Officials say the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System...
National Auto Fraud, Theft Prevention System Set to Go Live
Jan 29 2009 // The nation will soon have a new online computer system to help protect states and consumers from automobile fraud and to provide law enforcement with new tools to investigate fraud, theft, and other crimes involving...
California Reduces Licensing Fee for Insurance Agents, Brokers, Adjusters
Jan 28 2009 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced a number of fee reductions resulting in $10.3 million in annual savings, including a 6 percent fee reduction for more than 300,000 licensed insurance agents,...
Former AIG Vice President Sentenced to 4 Years for Reinsurance Scheme
Jan 28 2009 // The former vice president of reinsurance of American International Group Inc. (AIG) has been sentenced to four years in prison for his role in a fraudulent scheme to manipulate AIG’s financial statements, according...
Massachusetts Man Gets 9 Months for Insurance Fraud
Jan 28 2009 // A man authorities say participated in a series of staged auto accidents in Lawrence in an effort to defraud insurers has been sentenced to nine months in prison. Leo Lopez was also also ordered Monday to pay nearly $56,000...
Insurance in Times of Financial Crisis
Jan 28 2009 // The current financial crisis affects almost every aspect of our business life. That includes insurance. Businesses need to be wise consumers and aware of the legal issues covered by their coverages. Let’s take a look...
Ohio Workers’ Comp Bureau Worker Caught in Time Theft Probe
Jan 28 2009 // A state agency is reviewing the way it tracks how employees use the Internet after a report concluded that a worker remained undetected for years as he alternately viewed pornographic Web sites and did work for his...
Alabama Judge Upholds Chemist’s $192 Million Award in Patent Theft Case
Jan 26 2009 // Global chemical giant Ineos Phenol, stung by a $192 million jury verdict, has denied stealing a hazardous waste recycling idea from a Mobile chemist and said it would appeal a judge’s order upholding the...
Retired Pennsylvania Judge Wants Fraud Conviction Dismissed
Jan 26 2009 // A retired Pennsylvania Superior Court judge wants a federal judge to reverse his conviction or entirely dismiss insurance fraud charges stemming from $440,000 he collected in an August 2001 traffic accident. Attorneys for...
Insurance in Times of Financial Crisis
Jan 25 2009 // Fiduciary liability typically involves an employee suing an employer for not offering employee options for investing in a 401K plan, and the law weighs heavily in favor of the employee in these cases. The current financial...
Continuing Financial Crisis Leads to Vacant Properties, Vulnerable to Vandalism, Metal Theft
Jan 25 2009 // Brooklyn, N.Y. — Thieves who broke the locks on an unoccupied apartment building stripped the entire building of its copper piping, valued at more than $30,000. Las Vegas — The entire electrical system,...
FBI Reports Drop in Crime Including Property Crimes and Arson
Jan 25 2009 // The nation experienced a 3.5 percent decline in violent crime and a 2.5 percent decline in property crime for the first six months of 2008, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Violent crime was down in all...
New Mexico Legislature Weighs Insurance Fraud Bills
Jan 23 2009 // The New Mexico Legislature is evaluating two insurance fraud bills this session. Both SB 117 and SB 118 were introduced by Republican Sen. Carroll H. Leavell. SB 117 would allow courts to aggregate six months of faluse...
Iowa Landlord Faked Insurance Claims to Cheat Tenants Out of Deposits
Jan 21 2009 // Iowa authorities said that Robert K. Miell was tried and convicted on Jan. 9 on income tax fraud in United States District Court in Des Moines. Last week, Miell had pled guilty to 18 counts of mail fraud relating to an...
Auto Thefts Down in Tulsa
Jan 20 2009 // Police in Tulsa, Okla., say that a 30 percent drop in auto thefts last year is largely due to officers targeting thieves who snatch cars to make quick cash from scrap metal. Roughly 2,500 vehicles were reported stolen in...
Motorists Mutual Enhances Identity Theft Protection for Businesses
Jan 16 2009 // Motorists Mutual Insurance Co. is helping its commercial policyholders guard against identity theft and minimize the financial impact if a breach occurs. The company introduced its Security Breach Response Service provided...
Boudreaux Appointed to Head Louisiana Insurance Fraud Unit
Jan 16 2009 // Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon has named Paul Boudreaux Jr. as the new director of the Insurance Fraud Section at the Louisiana Department of Insurance. Boudreaux replaces Trent Beach who recently took the...
