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TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced
that a Willingboro woman was indicted late
yesterday for allegedly stealing more than
$9,000 in disability insurance funds.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Tomica S. Cooper, 37, of Willingboro,
was charged with second-degree insurance
fraud, third-degree theft by deception,
third-degree impersonation, and fourth-degree
falsifying records.
The
Burlington County grand jury indictment
alleges that between July 13, 2003 and Aug.
4, 2004, Cooper allegedly stole a total
of $9,442 by submitting false claims to
the Hartford Insurance Company. Cooper filed
for short-term disability benefits in June
2003. The indictment charges that Cooper
returned to work at Wal-Mart in July 2003
but failed to notify the insurance company
and continued to collect benefits until
December 2003. As a result of the fraud,
Cooper was allegedly paid more than $4,197
to which she was not entitled.
It
is charged that Cooper fraudulently initiated
an additional claim for short-term disability
benefits on Jan. 29, 2004 and collected
$5,245 to which she was not entitled. It
is alleged that the claim was fraudulent
because Cooper was no longer employed and
therefore was not eligible to obtain short-term
disability benefits. Cooper had been terminated
from Wal-Mart on Jan. 12, 2004, but allegedly
claimed she was still employed at Wal-Mart
when she filed for benefits.
It
is also alleged that in an attempt to file
a long-term disability claim, Cooper called
Hartford and impersonated an employee in
a doctor's office.
Detective
Anne Hayes, Civil Investigator Wilbert Sowney
and Deputy Attorney General Michael V. Troso
were assigned to the investigation. Troso
presented the case to the grand jury.
This
case was referred to OIFP by the Special
Investigative Unit of The Hartford Insurance
Company which initially uncovered the fraud
and assisted OIFP in the investigation.
Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Brown thanked
The Hartford for its assistance in this
matter.
The
indictment is merely an accusation and the
defendant is presumed innocent until proven
guilty. Second-degree crimes carry a maximum
sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine
of $150,000, while third-degree crimes carry
a maximum sentence of five years in prison
and a fine of $15,000. Fourth-degree crimes
carry a maximum sentence of 18 months in
prison and a fine of $10,000. Cooper may
also 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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