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TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced
that a state corrections officer was indicted
today on charges stemming from a fictitious
auto insurance identification card.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Crystal Williams McCrary, aka Crystal
Williams, 25, of East Orange, a corrections
officer employed by the New Jersey Department
of Corrections, was indicted by an Essex
County grand jury on charges of second-degree
official misconduct, as well as uttering
a forged document, falsification of records,
and attempted falsification of records,
all in the fourth-degree.
The
indictment alleges that on Oct. 28, 2006,
Williams McCrary appeared at the East Orange
Motor Vehicle Agency wearing her official
Department of Corrections uniform and presented
a fictitious automobile insurance identification
card purportedly issued by the State Farm
Insurance Company to the customer service
representative in connection with registering
an automobile. The customer service representative,
relying on his document fraud training,
recognized that the auto insurance identification
card was phony and confiscated it.
The
indictment also charges that on July 1,
2003, Williams McCrary registered another
vehicle, allegedly by filing a document
that falsely indicated the vehicle was covered
by a specific State Farm Insurance Company
policy. In fact, Williams McCrary was not
a State Farm policyholder.
Phony
insurance ID cards can be sold on the streets
for $50 to more than $200 each.
State Investigators Kelly A. Howard and
Darrell Washington, and Deputy Attorney
General Robert J. Brass were assigned to
the investigation. Brass presented the case
to the grand jury.
“The
law requires persons who drive to have automobile
insurance,” said Prosecutor Brown.
“By obtaining fake insurance identification
cards, a defendant can circumvent the law
and drive without insurance. In this case,
the defendant was a public employee, which
is especially disturbing. We will continue
to investigate and prosecute these cases.”
The
case was referred to OIFP by the Motor Vehicle
Commission as well as the Special Investigative
Unit of the State Farm Insurance Company,
which also assisted OIFP in the investigation.
Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Brown thanks
State Farm for their assistance.
The
indictment was handed up today to Superior
Court Judge Michael L. Ravin in Essex County,
where Williams McCrary will be ordered to
appear at a later date. The indictment is
merely an accusation and the defendant is
presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Second-degree
crimes carry a maximum punishment of 10
years in state prison and a criminal fine
of $150,000, while fourth-degree crimes
carry a maximum punishment of 18 months
in prison and a fine of $10,000.
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 site 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.
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