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For Immediate Release:
For Further Information:

October 17, 2011

Office of The Attorney General
- Paula T. Dow, Attorney General 
Division of Criminal Justice
- Stephen J. Taylor, Director
Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
- Ronald Chillemi, Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
Media Inquiries-
Rachel Goemaat
609-292-4791

Citizen Inquiries-
609-292-4925
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Atlantic County Man Begins Serving 11-Year State Prison Sentence for Witness Tampering and Insurance Fraud
Defendant’s Convictions Upheld on Appeal

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TRENTON - Attorney General Paula T. Dow and Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi announced that an Atlantic County man surrendered himself this morning to the Atlantic County Justice Facility to begin serving an 11-year state prison sentence after an Appellate Division panel affirmed the defendant’s 2006 convictions for witness tampering and theft charges related to an arson and insurance fraud scheme.

According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Chillemi, Samuel Siligato, 61, of Pleasant Mills Road, Hammonton, today began serving an 11-year prison sentence. Siligato was sentenced to state prison by Superior Court Judge Albert J. Garofolo of Atlantic County on Sept. 7, 2006, but had been free on bail pending appeal. On Oct. 7, 2011, the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, affirmed Siligato’s convictions and sentences.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Sarnoff Gochman handled the appeal for the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.

“Today’s surrender by Mr. Siligato underscores the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor’s perseverance to ensure that justice is served, no matter how long it takes,” Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Chillemi said. “I commend all of the deputy attorneys general, detectives and support staff that saw this case through from beginning to end.”

On July 24, 2006, following an 11-week jury trial in front of Judge Garofolo, Siligato was convicted of attempted theft by deception and conspiracy, both in the second-degree, and two counts of third-degree witness tampering. Those charges were contained in two separate state grand jury indictments obtained by the Division of Criminal Justice - Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.

On Sept. 7, 2006, Judge Garofolo sentenced Siligato to two concurrent terms of five years in prison on each of the two second-degree charges, with the terms to be served concurrently. He sentenced Siligato to three years on the first witness tampering charge, to be served consecutively to the theft and conspiracy term, and three years on the second witness tampering charge, also to be served consecutively, bringing the total to 11 years.

The jury determined that between September 1998 and November 2002, Siligato conspired to steal more than $180,000 from First Trenton Insurance Company by submitting false property damage claims following a fire at a commercial property located at 801 South White Horse Pike (U.S. Rte. 30), Winslow Township, Camden County. The fire, which occurred on Sept. 29, 1998, was ruled an arson by the New Jersey State Police Arson Unit and the Camden County Fire Marshall. Siligato submitted a $165,000 property damage claim for the loss of the structure to the First Trenton Insurance Company and a $15,000 claim for loss of contents. First Trenton paid $180,000 for those claims, but denied an additional loss of rental property claim.

The jury also determined that Siligato attempted to steal more than $206,000 from Farmers Mutual Insurance Company by submitting fraudulent property damage claims for property that did not exist.

The jury also concluded that, during the course of Siligato’s insurance fraud trial, the defendant approached, coerced or paid two potential witnesses to give false testimony at the trial.

In February 2007, Siligato was charged in an additional state grand jury indictment with second-degree aggravated arson, second-degree conspiracy and fourth-degree obstructing the administration of law or other governmental function. Those charges are still pending. The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Lieutenants Robert Stemmer and Robert McGrath, Detective Scott Caponi, Civil Investigator Joseph Salvatore, and former Supervising Deputy Attorney General Lewis J. Korngut were assigned to the investigation. Korngut was the trial attorney and represented the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor at the sentencing.

October is Insurance Fraud Awareness Month in New Jersey. Prosecutor Chillemi 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 at 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.

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