Latest Fraud Headlines
All the headlines from our Fraud Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California School District Aide Busted for Felony Workers’ Comp Fraud
May 26 2016 // An employee of a Southern California school district has been arrested on charges of workers’ compensation fraud for allegedly racking up $33,000 in treatments and disability payments. Juanita Denise Schmittle, 50,...
Pennsylvania Advises Insurers on Arson, Insurance Fraud Reporting Rules
May 26 2016 // The Pennsylvania Insurance Department recently issued a notice to advise and remind insurers of their obligations under the state’s law in the reporting of suspected arson and insurance fraud. The department also...
Investigators: Fraud Schemes Rampant Among Houston Tow Truck Drivers
May 25 2016 // Houston is a bad place to have to have your vehicle towed, according to law enforcement officials and insurance investigators. There have multiple reports of vehicles being towed and towing services charging victims...
New York AG Claims Domino’s Pizza Liable for Wage Theft by Franchisees
May 25 2016 // The New York attorney general’s office on Tuesday sued Domino’s Pizza Inc, claiming it is liable for wage theft by franchisees because the company used a computer system that it knew under-calculated...
Appeals Court Throws Out $1.27B Fraud Penalty Against Bank of America Mortgage Unit
May 24 2016 // A U.S. appeals court on Monday threw out a jury’s finding that Bank of America Corp. was liable for mortgage fraud leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, voiding a $1.27 billion penalty and dealing the U.S....
Disaster Fraud Rampant After Floods, Hurricanes
May 24 2016 // This year, extensive flooding has already affected parts of Texas and Louisiana. With more rain producing floods in the forecast for the southern part of the U.S. this spring, the likelihood of disaster fraud increases....
Cyber Bank Thieves Stole $12M from Ecuador Bank in 2015, Using SWIFT System
May 24 2016 // Shortly after 7 p.m. on January 12, 2015, a message from a secure computer terminal at Banco del Austro (BDA) in Ecuador instructed San Francisco-based Wells Fargo to transfer money to bank accounts in Hong Kong. Wells...
Investigation Solutions’ Scrutiny Leads Orange County DA to Allege $2 Million Workers’ Compensation Payroll Fraud
May 24 2016 // Irvine, CA, May 24, 2016- The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has charged an Irvine, California business owner and his bookkeeper with fraud for allegedly underreporting payroll to their workers’...
Former California Claim Adjuster Pleads Guilty to Embezzling $289K
May 23 2016 // Elizabeth Louise Brown, 48, of Canyon Country, Calif., a former claims adjuster with Explorer Insurance, pleaded guilty to two counts of insurance fraud with a white collar crime enhancement penalty for crafting an...
Fraud Leads to 20-Year Prison Sentence for Houston Insurance Agent
May 23 2016 // Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson that a Houston-based insurance agent has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after a Texas Department of Insurance investigation uncovered an annuity scam, in which she...
Florida Construction Company Owner Nabbed in Workers’ Comp Fraud Scheme
May 22 2016 // The owner of a construction company in Naples, Fla., was arrested this month for an alleged workers’ comp scheme, according to an announcement from Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater. Raimundo...
Florida Insurance Agent Sentenced to 7 Years for Insurance Fraud
May 18 2016 // The Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud, which operates under the direction of CFO Jeff Atwater, announced the conviction and sentencing of former Orlando insurance agent Mario Ferreri....
New Jersey Diner Owner Charged With Arson, Insurance Fraud
May 16 2016 // Authorities say a New Jersey diner owner has been charged with burning down the restaurant to collect insurance money. The New Jersey Herald reports that Tina Diakos was arrested and charged on May 13 with setting the...
2 Charged with Insurance Fraud in Oklahoma Buried Truck Case
May 12 2016 // Two Oklahoma men accused of burying a pickup truck that was later reported stolen are now charged with insurance fraud. Arrest warrants have been issued for Robert Campbell II, 49, of Langley and Larry Ezell, 25, of...
Large Staged Collision Insurance Fraud Ring in California Busted
May 12 2016 // Detectives from the California Department of Insurance arrested more than two dozen people on multiple felony counts of insurance fraud for allegedly staging auto collisions to scam more than four insurance companies out...
Jury Convicts Florida Doctor of 162 Counts of Health Care Fraud
May 10 2016 // A federal jury has convicted a north Florida doctor of 162 counts of health care fraud. U.S. Attorney Christopher Canova said in a news release that 59-year-old Dr. Ona Colasante defrauded Medicare, Medicaid and Blue Cross...
Arkansas Regulators: In Separate Cases 2 Plead Guilty to Auto Insurance Fraud
May 6 2016 // Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Allen Kerr announced two recent guilty pleas resulting from separate criminal investigations of insurance fraud. On May 2, Becky Brand, 34, of Lonoke entered a guilty plea to one count of...
HSB Extends Identity Theft Insurance to Small Business Owners for Employees
May 6 2016 // The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co. (HSB) is extending the availability of its identity theft insurance and services to the employees of small to mid-sized businesses as a standalone policy for...
Los Angeles Medical Worker Nabbed for Workers’ Comp Fraud
May 4 2016 // Johana Magnolia Paredes, 45, of Bellflower, Calif. was arrested by California Department of Insurance detectives on two felony counts of workers’ compensation insurance fraud after allegedly misrepresenting her...
BP Relents on Gulf Seafood Processors’ Oil Spill Damages But Still Pursues Attorney
May 4 2016 // After fighting for more than two years to avoid paying almost $1 billion in oil spill damages to Gulf Coast shrimpers, oystermen and seafood processors it claimed didn’t exist, BP Plc has thrown in the...
