According to Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Chillemi, Pape Michael Seck, 41, formerly of Jersey City, was sentenced to seven years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Arre in Hudson County. Seck was also ordered to pay $492,128 in restitution. The sentence was based on Seck’s Oct. 17 guilty plea to an accusation which charged him with second-degree insurance fraud and two counts of second-degree theft by deception.

In pleading guilty, Seck, who was an insurance producer formerly licensed in New York and New Jersey, admitted that between Nov. 12, 2006 and June 4, 2008, he knowingly made fraudulent or misleading statements including fraudulent pedigree, financial and medical documentation in support of seven life insurance policy applications. The applications were for three $3 million ING/ReliaStar Life Insurance Company/Security Life of Denver Insurance Company (“ING”) life insurance policies, two $7 million ING life insurance policies, a $5 million MetLife life insurance policy and a $5 million Union Central Life Insurance Company life insurance policy for an individual named Mansour Seck.

Seck also admitted that between May 17, 2007 and June 20, 2007, he fraudulently obtained property from ING in the form of commissions on the $7 million life insurance policy. Seck fraudulently obtained $280,230 in commissions for this policy.

Additionally, Seck admitted that between October 16, 2007 and December 4, 2007, he fraudulently obtained property from Miller & Schrader, P.A. in the form of a $61,898 premium reimbursement and a $150,000 unsecured loan on the $5 million MetLife life insurance policy.

On June 7, 2010, Seck was sentenced to three years in state prison, ordered to forfeit his New Jersey insurance producer’s license and ordered to pay a $10,000 civil insurance fraud fine. The sentence was based on Seck’s April 12, 2010 guilty plea to an accusation charging him with two counts of second-degree insurance fraud. In that case, Seck admitted that between May 22, 2008 and July 27, 2009, he submitted applications containing fraudulent information to Prudential Life Insurance Company and Aviva Life Insurance Company for $7 million life insurance policies. He was paroled in November 2010 and arrested on the present charges on Dec. 15, 2010.

Deputy Attorney General Nicole D. Rizzolo and Detective L. Cross were assigned to the investigation. Rizzolo represented the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor at the sentencing. Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Chillemi thanked ING, MetLife, Union Central Life Insurance Company, SSA-OIG, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, MVC, the United States Department of State, the United States Visa Office and the State of New York Insurance Department for their assistance in the investigation.

Acting Insurance Fraud 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 at 1-877-55-FRAUD, or visiting the Web site at www.NJInsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit a reward to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance fraud.