TRENTON
- Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced
that a Pennsylvania man and a construction
company pleaded guilty today for their roles
in an insurance fraud scheme that targeted
homes purportedly damaged by hail.
Dominik
Sadowski, 35, of Sellersville, Pa., pleaded
guilty to third-degree insurance fraud before
Superior Court Judge Ronald Bookbinder in
Burlington County. In addition, Precision
Network Solutions, d.b.a. Precision Builders,
of Voorhees, pleaded guilty to second-degree
insurance fraud. The charges were contained
in a state grand jury indictment returned
on June 14, 2011.
Judge
Bookbinder scheduled sentencing for June
1. Under the plea agreement, the state will
recommend that Sadowski be sentenced to
four years of probation conditioned on completing
100 hours of community service. New Jersey
law provides that there is a presumption
against any sentence of incarceration for
a person convicted of a third-degree crime
who has not previously been convicted of
an indictable offense. Sadowski and Precision
Builders are responsible for paying the
$68,720 in restitution. Precision Builders
will also pay a $250,000 criminal fine.
Sadowski
admitted that between Jan. 19 and April
25, 2011, acting on behalf of Precision
Builders, he caused fraudulent property
damage insurance claims to be submitted
to Traveler’s Insurance Company, for
property damage to two homes within Burlington
and Camden Counties purportedly caused by
hail storms.
An
investigation determined that representatives
from Precision Builders were canvassing
neighborhoods and were claiming that homes
had been damaged in a hail storm and advising
homeowners that they could get new siding
and roofing at no cost.
Several
homeowners told investigators that they
were not aware that they had any hail damage
to their homes before being solicited by
Precision Builders. An investigation determined
that, after homeowners filed claims with
their insurance carrier, Sadowski would
visit and damage the properties prior to
the adjusters’ inspections. It is
alleged that Sadowski’s co-defendant,
Marcin Gradziel, 33, of Norristown, Pa.,
would also visit and damage the properties
prior to the adjusters’ inspections.
The charges against Gradziel are pending.
As
a result of the fraud, acting on behalf
of Precision Builders, Sadowski caused approximately
$15,256 in claim monies to be obtained for
Precision Builders from Traveler’s
Insurance Company. It is alleged that Gradziel
caused approximately $53,464 in claim monies
to be obtained Precision Builders.
Deputy
Attorney General Dianne C. DiGiamber Deal,
Sergeant Anthony Butler and Detective Janessa
Jones and were assigned to the investigation.
Deputy Attorney General Deal represented
the state at the guilty plea. Acting Insurance
Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi thanked
Traveler’s Insurance Company, the
Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General
Insurance Fraud Unit, the Lehigh County
District Attorney’s Office and the
National Insurance Crime Bureau 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.