|
TRENTON
- Attorney General Stuart Rabner and Criminal
Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced
that a Fair Lawn chiropractor pleaded guilty
today to filing false health insurance claims.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Marc Centrelli, 46, of Sparta, pleaded
guilty before Superior Court Judge William
C. Meehan in Bergen County to a criminal
accusation that charged him with third-degree
health care claims fraud.
Centrelli,
a licensed chiropractor with an office in
Fair Lawn, admitted that between April 30,
2003 and Feb. 11, 2004, he submitted more
than $11,000 in false insurance claims under
the personal injury protection portion of
auto insurance policies provided by various
insurance carriers. Centrelli admitted that
the insurance claims were submitted for
services that he did not render. An investigation
determined that on many of the dates for
which Centrelli submitted the claims, he
was out of the office and not seeing patients.
State Investigators Johnny Ho, Robyn Greene,
Toni Petreski and Abe Aquina coordinated
the investigation. Deputy Attorney General
Dennis Kwasnik represented the Office of
Insurance Fraud Prosecutor at the plea hearing.
Selective Insurance Company assisted in
the investigation.
Centrelli
is scheduled to appear before Judge Meehan
on April 20 to be sentenced. Third-degree
crimes carry a sentence of up to five years
in state prison and a criminal fine of up
to $15,000. Centrelli also may face civil
insurance fraud fines.
Prosecutor
Brown noted that some important cases have
started with anonymous tips. People who
are concerned about insurance cheating and
have information about a fraud can report
it anonymously by calling the toll-free
hotline 1-877-55-FRAUD
or visiting the Web at 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 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 both civil and criminal insurance
fraud, as well as Medicaid fraud.
|
