| TRENTON - Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced that a Burlington County company was sentenced today for under-reporting the number of its employees and wages to evade the full payment of workers’ compensation insurance premiums.
Techdan, LLC, which, at the time of the crime, was located at 2092 Rt. 130 North in Florence, was ordered to pay $75,000 in restitution to Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. The sentence was based on the company’s Sept. 26 guilty plea to second-degree theft by deception before Superior Court Judge James W. Palmer, Jr. in Burlington County. The charge was contained in a July 3 state grand jury indictment.
In pleading guilty, Techdan, LLC admitted that between March 12, 2004 and July 5, 2007, the company gave the false impression to Liberty Mutual Insurance Company that it was entitled to lower workers’ compensation premiums. Techdan, LLC admitted that it under-reported the number of its employees and/or the misclassification of its employees’ occupational classes and/or under reported the total employee payroll amounts to evade paying the full payment of workers’ compensation.
Deputy Attorney General Cheryl A. Maccaroni, Detective Natalie Brotherston and Civil Investigator Wilbert Sowney were assigned to the case. Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi thanked Liberty Mutual Insurance Company for its assistance in the investigation.
The investigation began with a call to the Insurance Fraud toll‑free hotline. 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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