TRENTON - Attorney General Zulima V. Farber and Division of Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced that a suspended Camden police officer was convicted today for his role in an automobile insurance fraud scam.

According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden Brown, Lt. Jerome Bollettieri, 44, of Oaklyn, a suspended Camden police officer, was convicted of all five counts contained in a state grand jury indictment returned on March 27, 2002, namely conspiracy, official misconduct, two counts of bribery, all in the second degree, and one count of third-degree criminal use of runners.

Bollettieri was convicted following a six-day bench trial in Camden before Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Brown Jr. Judge Brown found that Bollettieri, while assigned to the city’s traffic bureau, sold Camden police accident reports to retired Camden police officer Thomas DiPatri. DiPatri delivered the illegally obtained accident reports to American Spinal Care, Inc., a chiropractic facility on Haddon Avenue in Collingswood, so that “runners” for the facility could illegally solicit individuals listed in the reports as clients for treatment and the filing of insurance claims.

“This police officer turned a profit by exploiting accident victims and breaking the law,” said Attorney General Farber. “He violated the public trust and the honor of his badge.”

Previously, as a result of the investigation by the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, DiPatri was found guilty at trial of working with Bollettieri in the scam and sentenced to three years in state prison. In addition, Charles Warrington, an officer of American Spinal Care, and Ettore Carchia, a chiropractor employed at the facility, pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme. Warrington was sentenced to three years in state prison, and Carchia was sentenced to probation and ordered to surrender his chiropractic license.

Bollettieri and DiPatri were arrested on the criminal charges in October 2000 by Division of Criminal Justice investigators and representatives from the New Jersey State Police and the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office. Bollettieri was suspended from the Camden Police Department the day of his arrest.

Bollettieri is scheduled to appear before Judge Brown on October 16 to be sentenced. Under state law, crimes of the second degree carry sentences of up to 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $150,000, while crimes of the third degree carry sentences of up to five years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $15,000. Bollettieri may also face civil insurance fraud fines.

State Investigators Weldon Powell and Scott Stevens were assigned to the investigation, along with Deputy Attorney General Peter Lee. Deputy Attorney General Christine Hoffman represented the state at trial, with assistance from State Investigators Anthony Butler and Natalie Brotherston.

“Our office is committed to combating insurance fraud in any form it takes,” said Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden Brown. “It is particularly disturbing when police officers engage in these crimes.”

Prosecutor Brown noted that important cases have begun with anonymous tips from the public. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have any information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling a toll-free hotline at 1-877-55-FRAUD, or visiting the Web site www.NJInsuranceFraud.org. State regulations permit an award to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance fraud.

The Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor was established by the Automobile Insurance Cost Reduction Act of 1998. The Office is the centralized state agency that investigates and prosecutes civil and criminal insurance fraud, as well as Medicaid fraud. Criminal convictions for insurance fraud can result in fines and imprisonment, while civil penalties can include substantial fines and referral for revocation or suspension of professional licenses.