|
TRENTON
Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Deborah Gramiccioni announced
that three people have been indicted on
charges they staged a phony carjacking in
order to collect insurance claims money.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Dennis Caraballo, 28, of Vineland,
and his girlfriend, Kristen Smith, 30, also
of Vineland, were each indicted on charges
of conspiracy, insurance fraud, and attempted
theft by deception, all in the third degree.
Caraballo was also charged with fourth-degree
false swearing and fourth-degree falsifying
records. Craig T. Likanchuk, 43, formerly
a resident of Vineland but currently incarcerated
at the Zephyrhills Correctional Institution
in Florida on unrelated charges, was indicted
on a charge of third-degree conspiracy.
The indictment was handed up in court late
yesterday.
The Cumberland County grand jury indictment
alleges that between Oct. 3, 2005, and March
31, 2006, the defendants agreed to stage
a carjacking in order to file a phony automobile
theft insurance claim. According to the
indictment, Caraballo and Smith allegedly
contacted the Vineland Police Department
and indicated that a carjacking occurred
in the parking lot of a Wawa convenience
store and that, as a result, a car had been
stolen. It is alleged that Caraballo subsequently
submitted a claim to the State Farm Insurance
Company falsely claiming that the car, a
2005 Toyota Scion, valued at $18,810, had
been stolen.
The
indictment alleges that Caraballo falsely
stated under oath that Smith was inside
his Toyota Scion when it was carjacked.
An investigation determined that the car
was not stolen, but that Likanchuk had allegedly
driven it away. Suspecting fraud, State
Farm denied the claim and referred the matter
to the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.
Detective
George Meyers, Jr., Civil Investigator Frank
Crosson and Deputy Attorneys General Kristen
Harberg and Ronald A. Epstein were assigned
to the investigation. Epstein presented
the case to the Cumberland County grand
jury. Prosecutor Brown thanked State Farm
and the Vineland Police Department for their
assistance in this matter.
The
indictment is merely an accusation and the
defendants are presumed innocent until proven
guilty. Third-degree crimes carry a sentence
of up to five years in state prison and
a criminal fine of $15,000, while fourth-degree
crimes carry a sentence of up to 18 months
in state prison and a criminal fine of $10,000.
The defendants 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.
# # # |
