TRENTON – Acting Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor announced today that a Sussex County man has been sentenced to five years in prison for attempting to steal thousands of dollars from an elderly aunt’s annuity and pretending to be the relative in correspondence with the insurance company.

Jason Crozier, 45, was sentenced by Sussex County Superior Court Judge William J. McGovern following a five-day trial in which he was found guilty of second-degree insurance fraud, third-degree attempted theft by deception, and fourth-degree identity theft.

Crozier attempted to steal $5,500 from his aunt’s annuity by pretending to be the woman in phone calls and emails to Prudential Insurance Company of America (Prudential).

“Prison is exactly where this defendant belongs,” said Acting Attorney General Porrino. “He not only defrauded an insurance company, a crime that drives up costs for everyone, but he was greedy enough to try to steal from the life savings of his own elderly aunt.”

Crozier contacted Prudential via phone calls and mail numerous times between April 4 and May 15, 2013, creating the false impression to Prudential that he was, in fact, his aunt.  An investigation determined that Crozier attempted to impersonate the elderly woman in his phone calls with Prudential. Crozier continued the impersonation and provided Prudential with his aunt’s personal identifying information, including her social security number, birthdate and annuity contract number. Crozier, who did not have his aunt’s permission to act on her behalf, submitted paperwork to withdraw $5,500 from the annuity.

“Crozier learned the hard way that insurance fraud and financial scams against the elderly are serious crimes with serious consequences,” said Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Christopher Iu. “This sentence should serve as a strong deterrent to anyone tempted to line their pockets through criminal deceit.”

Deputy Attorneys General Michael Clore and Michael Farmer, and former Deputy Attorney General TJ Harker, represented the state in this matter. Detectives Wendy Berg, Amy Carson and Matthew Armstrong coordinated the investigation. Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Iu thanked Prudential for referring the matter to the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.

Charles O’Connell of O’Connell & Sussman LLC represented Crozier in this matter.

Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Iu 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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