TRENTON
Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni announced
that a Warren County man has been sentenced
for providing false information on an insurance
policy application.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Eduardo Garcia, 45, of Phillipsburg,
was sentenced on April 3 to two years of probation
by Superior Court Judge John H. Pursel in
Warren County. Garcia was also ordered to
repay $56,000 to Liberty Mutual. Garcia pleaded
guilty on Nov. 7 to a criminal accusation
that charged him with insurance fraud.
Garcia admitted that he failed to disclose
on his Liberty Mutual automobile insurance
application that his girlfriend, Dora Benitez,
and his son, Yoni Garcia, resided with him,
information that is required by the insurance
company. This information was uncovered when
Yoni Garcia and Benitez were involved in an
automobile accident that resulted in a fatality.
Detective
Ronald Williams and Deputy Attorney General
Paul D. Santangini were assigned to the investigation.
Santangini represented the Office of Insurance
Fraud Prosecutor at sentencing.
"Insurance
companies have referred hundreds of cases
to our office involving persons who falsify
automobile insurance applications in order
to reduce their insurance rates," Prosecutor
Brown said. "Any person who is willing
to falsify an automobile insurance application
should realize that this office will continue
to investigate and prosecute these types of
cases."
This
case was referred to OIFP by the Special Investigative
Unit of the Liberty Mutual Insurance Company
which initially uncovered the fraud and assisted
OIFP in the investigation. Prosecutor Brown
thanked Liberty Mutual for its assistance
in this matter.
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