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TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced
that a Monmouth County woman was indicted
today on charges she falsified insurance
applications and motor vehicle registrations.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Misty D. Megill, 25, of Farmingdale,
was charged in a state grand jury indictment
with three counts of third-degree insurance
fraud and ten counts of fourth-degree falsifying
or tampering with records.
The
indictment alleges that between January
2003 and December 2005, Megill submitted
10 motor vehicle registration applications
or registration renewal applications for
10 vehicles that falsely indicated the vehicles
were insured by valid New Jersey automobile
insurance policies when, in fact, they were
not. New Jersey law requires that in order
to register automobiles, they must be properly
insured.
With
respect to the false insurance applications,
the indictment charges that in March 2005,
Megill falsely advised Geico Insurance Company
that she had current automobile insurance
with New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance
Company, when Megill knew her automobile
insurance policy from that company had been
cancelled in November 2004 due to non-payment.
The indictment further alleges that in applying
for car insurance from New Jersey Manufacturers
in June 2003, Megill used a fictitious name
for another driver who resided in her house
to conceal the fact that the other driver,
her boyfriend, had a suspended license and
was not authorized to drive. The indictment
charges that in February 2004, Megill filled
out and signed a New Jersey Manufacturers
renewal policy questionnaire in which she
again used the false name and answered “no”
when asked if any resident in her home had
a suspended or revoked license.
State
Investigator Christina Fiscella, New Jersey
State Police Detective Michael Hanf, Civil
Investigator Wilbert Sowney and Deputy Attorney
General Candy Cure were assigned to the
investigation. Cure presented the case to
the grand jury. Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
Brown credited New Jersey Manufacturers
Insurance Company and Geico Insurance Company
for their assistance with the investigation.
“Any person who is willing to falsify
an automobile insurance application to obtain
cheaper rates should realize that New Jersey’s
insurance fraud statute provides tough criminal
penalties for such conduct,” Fraud
Prosecutor Brown said. “This office
will continue to vigorously investigate
and prosecute these cases.”
The indictment is merely an accusation and
the defendant is presumed innocent until
proven guilty. Third-degree crimes carry
a maximum punishment of five years in state
prison and a criminal fine of $15,000, while
crimes of the fourth-degree carry a maximum
punishment of 18 months in state prison
and a criminal fine of $10,000. Megill 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 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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