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TRENTON
- First Assistant Attorney General Anne
Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Gregory
A. Paw announced that a Burlington County
woman was charged today in two separate
state grand jury indictments with running
a criminal prescription drug ring and filing
fraudulent insurance claims. Two other county
residents were indicted on related charges.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Joyce Sarte Fuller, 62, of Mount
Laurel, was charged in an 18-count indictment
with leading a narcotics trafficking network,
a first-degree offense. That indictment
also charges her with conspiracy, possession
of a controlled dangerous substance with
intent to distribute, and health care claims
fraud, all in the second degree; five counts
of third-degree possession of a controlled
dangerous substance with intent to distribute;
four counts of third-degree possession of
a controlled dangerous substance; two counts
of third-degree theft by receiving stolen
property; and one count each of third-degree
obtaining a controlled dangerous substance,
third-degree forgery, and fourth-degree
falsifying records.
As
part of that 18-count indictment, Jeffrey
Wickizer, 31, of Delanco, was charged with
second-degree conspiracy and health care
claims fraud, both in the second degree,
and fourth-degree falsifying records. Pamela
Asay, 32, also of Delanco, was charged with
second-degree conspiracy and forgery and
third-degree obtaining a controlled dangerous
substance.
The
second indictment charges Fuller with second-degree
attempted theft by deception, fourth-degree
falsifying records, and fourth-degree unsworn
falsification to authorities. The two indictments
were voted late yesterday and filed today
in Superior Court in Mercer County.
As
the leader of a narcotics trafficking network,
it is alleged that Fuller conspired with
Wickizer and Asay to organize, supervise,
finance, manage, and engage for profit in
a scheme to distribute and dispense controlled
dangerous narcotic substances such as morphine
and Percocet. Also among the drugs allegedly
involved in the scheme were Xanax, triazolam,
and Vicodin (also under the brand names
Norco and Lorcet).
The
18-count indictment alleges that between
Dec. 1, 2002 and March 17, 2004, Fuller
stole prescription pads from physicians’
offices and had herself falsely enrolled
on Wickizer’s employer sponsored health
plan with AmeriHealth Group Insurance. She
allegedly wrote false prescriptions for
drugs, including controlled narcotic substances,
and obtained the drugs from various pharmacies
in and around the Mount Laurel area. She
allegedly sold some of the drugs with the
assistance of Wickizer and Asay. The indictment
further alleges that Wickizer falsified
documents that he submitted to his employer
so that Fuller could be added to his health
plan.
The second indictment alleges that between
April 28, 2002 and Aug. 26, 2003, Fuller
falsely reported to the Mount Laurel Police
Department that she suffered a burglary
of her home. It is alleged that Fuller subsequently
submitted a fraudulent “Itemized Statement
of Loss” to USAA Insurance Company
detailing items that were falsely reported
as stolen, including artwork, porcelain
figurines and other items. The purported
value of the items totaled $137,250.
Under
state law, the crime of leading a narcotics
trafficking network carries a maximum sentence
of up to life in state prison with a mandatory
minimum of 25 years without parole.
Second-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence
of 10 years in state prison and a criminal
fine of $150,000; third-degree crimes, up
to five years in state prison and a criminal
fine of $15,000; and fourth-degree crimes,
up to 18 months in prison and a $10,000
fine. Fuller also may face civil insurance
fraud fines.
State Investigator Scott Caponi, Civil Investigator
Bud Fifield, and Supervising Deputy Attorney
General Lewis J. Korngut were assigned to
the investigation. Korngut represented the
Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor before
the state grand jury. The Mount Laurel and
Moorestown Police Departments and USAA Insurance
Company assisted in the investigation.
The
indictments are merely accusations and the
defendants are presumed innocent until proven
guilty. The indictments were handed up to
Superior Court Judge Neil H. Shuster in
Mercer County.
>>
Indictments
- State vs. Sarte-Fuller (669k
pdf) plug-in
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 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 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.
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