| TRENTON
- Attorney General Stuart Rabner and Division
of Criminal Justice Director Gregory A.
Paw announced that an Atlantic County man
has been indicted for allegedly filing a
phony accident claim against the Borough
of Buena and Ohio Casualty Insurance Company.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Bruce Basile, 46, of Minotola, was
indicted today by an Atlantic County grand
jury on two counts of third-degree theft
by deception.
The indictment alleges that Basile falsely
claimed that he was thrown from his bicycle
and lost four front teeth when he rode over
a loose piece of concrete sidewalk on Central
Avenue in Buena on July 27, 2001. The indictment
alleges that, in fact, Basile did not lose
his teeth in an accident on that date.
Basile
filed a lawsuit against the Borough of Buena
and the owner of the property where he claimed
the accident occurred. As a result of the
phony claim, Basile was paid $4,500 by the
Borough of Buena and $10,000 by Ohio Casualty
Insurance Company, the homeowner’s
insurer
State
Investigator Scott Caponi, Civil Investigator
Wilbert Sowney and Deputy Attorney General
Nicole D. Rizzolo are handling the case.
Third-degree
crimes carry a maximum punishment of five
years in state prison and a criminal fine
of $15,000. Basile also may face civil insurance
fraud fines. The indictment is merely an
accusation and the defendant is presumed
innocent until proven guilty.
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.
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