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TRENTON - Attorney General
Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director
Deborah L. Gramiccioni announced that a Newark
man has pleaded guilty to falsely claiming
he was injured in a bus accident, when, in
fact, he was not involved in the accident.
According to Insurance Fraud
Prosecutor Greta Gooden Brown, Princeton Smith,
31, of Newark pleaded guilty yesterday (March
18) before Superior Court Judge Michael A.
Petrolle in Essex County to third-degree attempted
theft by deception. The charge was contained
in a June 10, 2008 Essex County grand jury
indictment.
Judge Petrolle scheduled sentencing
for May 15. Based on his plea agreement, the
State will recommend that Smith serve a probationary
sentence.
At the guilty plea hearing,
Smith admitted that he fraudulently claimed
that on January 11, 2005, he was a passenger
on a bus and was injured when the bus collided
with a passenger car. Smith was not a passenger
on the bus at the time of the accident. Smith
further admitted that between Jan. 11 and
July 20, 2005, he filed a false claim with
U.S Fidelity and Guaranty Co. in an attempt
to obtain money for a bus accident he in which
he was not involved.
The bus was owned and operated
by Independent Bus Company (IBC) and the claim
was administered by Sedgwick CMS, an insurance
claims administrator for Independent Bus Company.
Smith filed a civil suit seeking damages from
IBC as a result of the purported accident.
Detective Wendy Wylie and
Deputy Attorney General James Flanagan were
assigned to the matter. Flanagan represented
the State at the guilty plea hearing. Prosecutor
Brown thanked the Independence Bus Company
and Sedgwick CMS for their assistance in this
matter.
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