| TRENTON
- Attorney General Stuart Rabner and Division
of Criminal Justice Director Gregory A.
Paw announced that a Union County man was
indicted today on charges that he possessed
and attempted to sell a stolen Cadillac
Escalade.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Luis Marte, 34, of Union Township,
was indicted by a Union County grand jury
on charges of conspiracy, receiving stolen
property and attempted fencing, all in the
third degree.
The
indictment alleges that Marte had possession
of a 2004 Cadillac Escalade, worth approximately
$55,000, which was stolen Nov. 14, 2003
from Demco Construction Corp. while parked
on a lot in Great Neck, N.Y. The indictment
further alleges that Marte obtained a Michigan
title for the stolen car using an altered
vehicle identification number and attempted
to sell the car last year.
State
Investigators Jarek Pyrzanowski and Jeffrey
Lorman and Deputy Attorney General Jacqueline
D. Smith are handling the case.
The
indictment is merely an accusation and the
defendant is presumed innocent until proven
guilty. Third-degree crimes carry a maximum
punishment of five years in state prison
and a criminal fine of $15,000. In addition,
Marte could face civil insurance fraud fines
if convicted.
Prosecutor
Brown 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 1-877-55-FRAUD
or visiting the Web at www.NJInsuranceFraud.org.
State regulations permit an award to be
paid to an eligible person who provides
information that leads to an arrest, prosecution
and conviction for insurance fraud.
The Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
was established by the Automobile Insurance
Cost Reduction Act of 1998. The office is
the centralized state agency that investigates
and prosecutes both civil and criminal insurance
fraud, as well as Medicaid fraud.
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