Insurance Fraud Investigations Led To 668 Arrests in 2010

NEW YORK, NY (03/16/2011)(readMedia)-- A Brooklyn woman arrested after a fist fight, a surgeon who made $3.5 million by billing for working more than 24 hours a day, and a Putnam County man who said assailants tied him up and left him inside his burning liquor store.

Those are among the 668 people who were arrested last year on charges related to insurance fraud, according to the New York State Insurance Department's Frauds Bureau.

The Bureau on Tuesday released its annual report for 2010. The report shows that the Bureau:

• Received 24,161 reports of suspected fraud, compared to 24,920 in 2009, and opened 1,236 new cases for investigation.

• Participated in investigations which led to court-ordered restitution totaling $6.6 million, up by more than 29 percent from 2009.

• Worked on cases resulting in 449 criminal convictions and led or participated in investigations resulting in 668 arrests, down about nine percent from 2009.

The arrests included one involving a Brooklyn woman charged with insurance fraud after reporting her car stolen. In fact, it had been impounded by police after she was earlier arrested in connection with shop lifting and a subsequent fist fighting incident.

Also arrested was a Brooklyn surgeon. He was accused of defrauding Medicare and other health care programs of $3.5 million by submitting fraudulent billings. An investigation, carried out by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, of which the Frauds Bureau is a member, found that he would have had to have worked around the clock to earn the billings.

A Putnam County man was arrested after he told police he was robbed by unknown assailants who tied him up and left him inside his burning liquor store. An investigation found that he had intentionally set the fire in an unsuccessful attempt to collect on an insurance claim.

The complete Frauds Bureau report can be found at this location on the Insurance Department's website www.ins.state.ny.us/frauds/fd10anrpt.pdf.

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