N.J. Woman, 72, Sentenced in Scam:

A Philadelphia judge sentenced an elderly woman to 12 years of probation for insurance fraud in a series of claims that drew prison sentences for the defendant in two other courts. Isabel Parker, 72, of Deptford, N.J., staged slip-and-fall accidents in various stores and on the street, then settled with the insurance companies that covered the property owners, police said. Parker had pleaded guilty in Philadelphia in February to eight counts of insurance fraud, six counts of forgery, six counts of theft by deception and related offenses for stealing more than $130,000 through false insurance claims for slip-and-fall schemes between 1993 and 2000. In all, Parker has admitted getting more than $500,000 in phony claims in Philadelphia, Delaware County, and New Jersey. She had been sentenced to about six months’ prison time in New Jersey and 23 months in Delaware County before being placed on probation by the Philadelphia court. The defense has blamed Parker’s gambling addiction. Her lawyer said that once Parker saw how easy it was to collect insurance claims, she just couldn’t resist.

Topics New Jersey