Latest Fraud Headlines
All the headlines from our Fraud Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Mississippi Katrina Report: No Fraud by State Farm
Nov 16 2008 // State Farm Fire & Casualty Cos. made questionable decisions in handling Hurricane Katrina claims, but a nearly two-year study found no pattern of fraud in Mississippi. The report by the Mississippi Insurance...
California Arrests Husband and Wife in $10,000 Insurance Fraud Scheme
Nov 14 2008 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced the arrests of Robert and Lisa Franklin of Artesia, on five counts of felony grand theft, five counts of diversion of premiums. In addition, Mrs. Franklin was...
Washington Launches New Insurance Fraud Web Site
Nov 12 2008 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler is using his office’s Web site to help fight insurance fraud. In an effort to protect consumers, the fraud section of the site has been expanded to educate people on...
Pennsylvania Judges Testify in Retired Judge’s Insurance Fraud Case
Nov 12 2008 // Several Pennsylvania judges appeared in a federal courtroom Monday to defend one of their own: retired Superior Court Judge Michael Joyce. Joyce, 59, is being tried on mail fraud and money laundering charges for allegedly...
Survey: Americans Worry Economy Poses Increased Risk to Crime
Nov 11 2008 // More than four in 10 Americans are worried that the current economic environment can expose their families to crime, according to a nationwide survey of 1,000 people. Many survey respondents also indicated that economic...
Texas Enforcement Actions for Sept. 2008 Include $160K in Fines
Nov 11 2008 // The Texas Department of Insurance enforcement actions taken by Commissioner Mike Geeslin that became final during September include ten license revocations, two license denials and fines and restitution totaling...
National Study Says Michigan Average Auto Premiums Decline
Nov 10 2008 // Michigan’s average auto insurance premiums decreased in 2006, compared to 2005, a recent study released by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) shows. For the two-year period 2004-6, Michigan...
Louisiana Agents Arrested on Fraud Charges
Nov 6 2008 // Two Ferriday, La., area insurance agents recently were arrested and issued cease and desist orders, summary suspensions and fine notices for violating various provisions of Louisiana’s insurance code. The Louisiana...
Texan Sentenced in Workers’ Comp Fraud Case
Nov 5 2008 // Texas Mutual Insurance Company reported that Felix Prado of Falfurrias, Texas, pleaded guilty to workers’ compensation fraud-related charges. A Travis County district court sentenced Prado to 30 days in the Travis...
Morris Named Chief Communications Officer by National Crime Bureau
Nov 5 2008 // Joe Wehrle, president and CEO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), is pleased to announce the appointment of Roger Morris as vice president and chief communications officer for NICB. He will be responsible for...
Mississippi Katrina Report: No Insurer Fraud Pattern
Nov 3 2008 // State Farm Fire & Casualty Cos. made questionable decisions in handling Hurricane Katrina claims, but a nearly two-year study found no pattern of fraud in Mississippi, according to a state agency report released Oct....
UK’s Chartered Insurance Institute Launches Anti-Fraud Podcasts
Nov 3 2008 // The UK’s Chartered Insurance Institute (CII Faculties) has announced a series of podcasts, in conjunction with the UK’s Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), to advise its claims, underwriting and broking members on...
New York Man Faces Insurance Fraud Charges for Suspicious Fire
Nov 3 2008 // An Albany, New York property owner who reportedly fell behind on the mortgage payments for a four-unit apartment building he owns in was arrested for setting fire to the structure just hours after his tenants left the...
Kentucky Weathering AIG and Ike Hurricanes
Nov 2 2008 // Sharon P. Clark, a 17-year veteran of Kentucky state government, was appointed commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Insurance (DOI) in June. Clark’s experience includes five years as director of the Consumer...
Florida Insurance Fraud Case Lands Attorney in Prison
Oct 30 2008 // A South Florida attorney has been disbarred and ordered to surrender on Nov. 7 to serve 366 days in a Florida prison, according to Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink. Broward County Circuit Judge Pedro Dijols...
New York Hotel Worker Charged with Workers Compensation Fraud
Oct 28 2008 // A 49-year-old Nassau County, New York woman has been arrested on charges of fraudulently collecting $20,000 in workers’ compensation benefits, the New York State Insurance Department reported. Maria Escobar, of...
Montana Sheriff Candidate Faces Fraud Charge
Oct 28 2008 // Criminal charges have been filed in the Second Judicial District Court in Butte, Mont., alleging Ben Thielen committed theft by insurance fraud. The charges were filed by Special Deputy County Attorney for Butte-Silver...
Texas EMT Sentenced in Workers’ Comp Fraud Case
Oct 27 2008 // Texas Mutual Insurance Company reported that a Travis County district court sentenced Michael J. Rosenberg of McAllen, Texas, on workers’ compensation fraud-related charges. Rosenberg’s sentence included two...
California Commissioner Announces 5% Workers’ Comp Rate Increase
Oct 24 2008 // Rejecting the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s (WCIRB) call for a 16 percent increase in the benchmark for determining workers’ compensation costs, California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner...
Jury Seated in Pennsylvania Judge’s Fraud Trial
Oct 23 2008 // Six men and six women have been selected as jurors in the federal fraud trial of a retired Pennsylvania appellate judge in Pittsburgh and opening statements are expected to begin. Ex-Superior Court Judge Michael Joyce is...
