TRENTON
- Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced
that a Pennsylvania man was sentenced today
for his role in an insurance fraud scheme
that targeted homes purportedly damaged
by hail. A construction company was sentenced
last week for its role in the scheme.
Dominik
Sadowski, 35, of Sellersville, Pa., was
sentenced by Superior Court Judge Ronald
Bookbinder in Burlington County to four
years of probation conditioned on completing
100 hours of community service. The sentence
was based on Sadowski’s March 26 guilty
plea to third-degree insurance fraud. In
addition, on Friday (June 1), a $50,000
criminal fine was imposed upon Precision
Network Solutions, d.b.a. Precision Builders,
of Voorhees. Precision Builders paid $68,720
in restitution prior to sentencing. The
company pleaded guilty to second-degree
insurance fraud. The charges contained in
a state grand jury indictment returned on
June 14, 2011.
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. Precision
Builders went out of business as a result
of the investigation.
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.
Deputy
Attorney General Dianne C. DiGiamber Deal,
Sergeant Anthony Butler, Detective Janessa
Jones, Analyst Terry Drumm and Technical
Assistant Lynn Barresi were assigned to
the case. Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
Ronald Chillemi thanked Michelle Moffet
of the Department of Banking and Insurance,
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.
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