| TRENTON
- Attorney General Zulima V. Farber and
Division of Criminal Justice Director Gregory
A. Paw announced that a Passaic County woman
has pleaded guilty to attempting to fraudulently
collect more than $23,000 in automobile
insurance Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
benefits.
According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
Greta Gooden Brown, Virginia B. Kinion,
66, of Paterson, pleaded guilty before Passaic
County Superior Court Judge Ernest M. Caposela
to third-degree health care claims fraud.
The charge was contained in a June 29, 2005
Passaic Grand Jury indictment. When sentenced
on Aug. 18, Kinion faces up to five years
in state prison and a criminal fine of up
to $15,000. At the guilty plea, Kinion agreed
to pay a $10,000 civil penalty.
Kinion’s husband, John Knight, 49,
was also named in the indictment. Knight
pleaded guilty on March 24 before Judge
Caposela to fourth-degree falsifying records.
He agreed to pay a $5,000 civil insurance
fraud fine when sentenced on July 7, 2006.
At the April 13 guilty plea hearing, Kinion
admitted that she submitted a false automobile
insurance policy application and false PIP
claims to the Clarendon National Insurance
Company after being involved in an automobile
accident. An investigation by the Division
of Criminal Justice - Office of Insurance
Fraud Prosecutor determined that, at the
time of the accident, neither Kinion nor
Knight had automobile insurance. Kinion
acknowledged that she applied for and received
automobile insurance issued by Clarendon
National Insurance Company on June 7 - a
day after the motor vehicle accident. The
investigation further revealed that Kinion
denied involvement in any accidents during
the prior 36 months.
Upon receiving automobile insurance coverage,
Kinion and Knight filed PIP health-care
claims totaling more than $23,100 with the
Clarendon National Insurance Co. Kinion
admitted that on June 10, three days after
the applying for insurance, she falsely
reported to the Paterson Police Department
that the accident occurred on June 7. The
investigation determined that Kinion later
returned to the Paterson Police Department
to revise her report, adding that Knight
was a passenger when, in fact, Knight was
the driver at the time of the accident.
Clarendon National Insurance denied both
claims and referred the matter to the Division
of Criminal Justice - Office of Insurance
Fraud Prosecutor.
State Investigator Wendy Wylie, Civil Investigator
Eileen Bellantine, and Deputy Attorney General
Frank L. Holstein coordinated the investigation.
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