Global Navigation
Office of The Attorney General
The State of New Jersey Office of The Attorney General (Dept. of Law & Public Safety) The State of New Jersey NJ Home Services A to Z Departments/Agencies OAG Frequently Asked Questions
Services A to Z Departments/Agencies OAG Frequently Asked Questions
OAG Home
OAG Contact
Back to News Releases
OAG Home Attorney General's Biography
Attorney General's Biography
spacer spacer spacer
 
spacer spacer spacer
spacer spacer spacer
For Immediate Release:
For Further Information:
May 14, 2012

Office of The Attorney General

- Jeffrey S. Chiesa, 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

spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer

Middlesex County Man Sentenced to State Prison for Illegally Soliciting Patients as Part of a “Running” Scheme

spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer

TRENTON - Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced that a Perth Amboy man was sentenced to state prison today for illegally soliciting patients for Central Jersey Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Centres (Central Jersey).

Jimmy Tovar, 36, of Perth Amboy, was sentenced to three years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Bradley J. Ferencz in Middlesex County. Tovar has been in custody since his arrest in July 2011. Tovar also executed a consent judgment for $1,854.70 in back taxes owned from the money he made from his “running” activities. Tovar’s sentence was based on his March 16 guilty plea to an accusation which charged him with conspiracy to commit running activity, acting as a runner, and failure to file a tax return, all in the third degree.

In pleading guilty, Tovar admitted that he conspired to procure clients, patients or customers in cooperation with a provider whose purpose was to seek to obtain benefits under an insurance contract for providing services to the insured. Tovar admitted that on 18 occasions in 2010, he accepted between $500 and $9,000 from a provider for the referral of people to Central Jersey.

Tovar also admitted that in 2010, he was paid $50,500 for soliciting people following automobile accidents to treat at Central Jersey and referring them to an attorney to pursue a claim for pain and suffering under a contract of insurance. Finally, Tovar was charged with failing to file a gross income tax return, FORM NJ-1040, with the intent to defraud or evade payment of New Jersey gross income tax for the tax year ending 2010.

Tovar was one of seven people charged by the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor in July 2011, following an investigation into suspected running activities related to Central Jersey Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Centres.

New Jersey’s “anti-running statute,” imposes criminal penalties for acting as a runner or using, directing, or employing a runner. The statute defines a runner as a person who attempts to procure a patient or client at the direction of and for a health care professional or attorney in exchange for a pecuniary benefit, when the health care professional or attorney intends to assert a claim against an insured person or an insurance carrier for providing services to the patient or client.

Deputy Attorney General Steven B. Farman and Detectives Michael Rasar and Natalie Brotherston were assigned to the investigation. Farman represented the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor at the sentencing. Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi thanked the New Jersey Department of the Treasury - Division of Taxation, Assistant Chief of Criminal Investigations Robert Conger, Supervising Auditor Michael D. Mullane and Auditor William Makar 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.

###
spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer
 
 
Contact OAG About OAG
OAG News OAG Frequently Asked Questions
OAG Library Employment
OAG Grants Proposed Rules
OAG History OAG Services A-Z
OAG Agencies / Programs / Units
Other News Pages Otras Noticias en Español Division of NJ State Police Division of Law News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Gaming Enforcement News
NJ State Police News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Elections News Division of Gaming Enforcement News Office of Government Integrity News

free PDF plugin

NJ State Police News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Elections News Division of Gaming Enforcement News Office of Government Integrity News
   
Contact Us | Privacy Notice | Legal Statement | Accessibility Statement
NJ Home Logo
Departmental: OAG Home | Contact OAG | About OAG | OAG News | OAG FAQs
Statewide: NJ Home | Services A to Z | Departments/Agencies | FAQs
Copyright © State of New Jersey
This page is maintained by OAG Communications. Comments/Questions: email or call 609-292-4925
OAG Home OAG Home NJ State Police News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Elections News Division of Gaming Enforcement News Office of Government Integrity News Click to Enlarge Image Click to Enlarge Image Click to Enlarge Graphic