TRENTON
- Criminal Justice Director Vaughn L.
McKoy announced that an Ocean County chiropractor
has pleaded guilty for bilking insurance
companies out of more than $6,400 in reimbursements
for chiropractic treatments that were
never provided to patients.
According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
Greta Gooden Brown, Ettore C. Carchia,
44, Sandy Circle, Manahawkin, Ocean County,
pleaded guilty before Camden County Superior
Court Judge Linda G. Baxter to a criminal
Accusation obtained by the Division of
Criminal Justice - Office of Insurance
Fraud Prosecutor. The Accusation charged
Carchia with Health Care Claims Fraud
(3rd degree). When sentenced on Oct. 7,
Carchia faces up to five years in state
prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
At the Aug. 12 guilty plea hearing, Carchia,
the primary chiropractor at American Spinal
Care, Inc., located in Collingswood, Camden
County, admitted that between Jan. 1,
1999 and Oct. 20, 2000, he submitted more
than $6,400 in Personal Injury Protection
(PIP) insurance claims to the Allstate
Insurance Company and the Selective Insurance
Company for payment for chiropractic services
that were not provided to patients. An
investigation by the Division of Criminal
Justice - Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
determined that Carchia falsified the
claims by representing to the insurance
companies that he had provided services
that could not have been rendered given
the amount of time that patients spent
in Carchia’s office.
The Accusation resulted from an investigation
by the Division of Criminal Justice -
Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor which
charged former Camden City Police Department
Sgt. Thomas G. DiPatri, 56, Mays Landing
Road, Egg Harbor Twp., Atlantic County,
former Camden City Police Department Lt.
Jerome F. Bolletieri, 43, Walnut Avenue,
Oaklyn, Camden County; Charles Warrington,
II, 32, a Cherry Hill resident and officer
of the chiropractic facility; and retired
Camden City Police Sergeant Philip N.
Ferrari, who died during the course of
the investigation, for their roles in
an organized insurance fraud scam.
DiPatri
was convicted in August 2003 by Camden
County Superior Court Judge John T. McNeill,
III on charges of conspiracy, bribery,
official misconduct and criminal use of
runners for delivering illegally obtained
accident reports to American Spinal Care,
Inc. DiPatri and Warrington were each
sentenced to three years in state prison.
The owner of American Spinal who was also
charged in the indictment died prior to
trial. Jerome Bollettieri filed an appeal
to the State Supreme Court seeking dismissal
of the indictment. His appeal was recently
dismissed by the Supreme Court and the
case returned to Camden County Superior
Court for trial.
State Investigator Scott Stevens, and
Deputy Attorney General Peter W. Lee were
assigned to the investigation into this
case. DAG Lee represented the Division
of Criminal Justice - Office of Insurance
Fraud Prosecutor at the guilty plea hearing.
“Our
office is committed to protecting New
Jersey’s citizens from unscrupulous
acts by combating insurance fraud in any
form it takes, including official corruption.
It is particularly disturbing when former
police officers violate the public’s
trust by choosing to participate in insurance
fraud schemes,” said Insurance Fraud
Prosecutor Brown. “This guilty plea
completes a complicated and extensive
fraud ring that relied on corrupt police
officers and medical service providers.”