September 24, 09

NEWS / Five North Jersey Residents Indicted on Charges They Filed False Vehicle Theft Insurance Claims

Charges Stem From Ongoing Investigation into Automobile “Give Up” Scheme

TRENTON - Attorney General Anne Milgram and Division of Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni announced that five North Jersey residents were charged today in separate state grand jury indictments for falsely reporting the theft of their cars.

The charges stem from an ongoing investigation into an automobile “give up” scheme in which its leader, Jose Torres, was previously sentenced to eight years in state prison with five years of parole ineligibility.

According to Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Riza Dagli, the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor obtained the following indictments:

State v. Jose Pujols. Pujols, 37, of Paterson, was charged with second-degree insurance fraud, third- and fourth-degree theft by deception, third-degree tampering with public records or information and fourth-degree falsifying records. The indictment alleges that on Sept. 30, 2006, Pujols reported to the Paterson Police Department that his 2000 Honda Accord had been stolen from in front of his house in Paterson and that he had last seen it around 8:45pm on Sept. 29, 2006. An investigation determined that the vehicle had not been stolen but had allegedly been purchased as part of an undercover law enforcement operation around 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 28, 2006 in Dover.

The indictment further alleges that Pujols filed a fraudulent vehicle theft claim with Geico Insurance Company over the phone on Sept. 30, 2006. On Oct. 17, 2006, Pujols allegedly completed an affidavit, falsely claiming that his vehicle was stolen along with personal items and baseball equipment inside the car. He subsequently submitted the false affidavit to Geico. As a result of the false claim, Pujols allegedly received $8,265 for the Honda and $200 for the personal items in the car, knowing that neither the car nor the personal items had been stolen.

State v. Mark P. McCaffrey. McCaffrey, 29, of Landing, was charged with insurance fraud, theft by deception and tampering with public records or information (all third-degree) as well as fourth-degree falsifying records. The indictment alleges that on Sept. 9, 2006, McCaffrey falsely reported to the Roxbury Police Department that his 1999 Lincoln Navigator had been stolen when, in fact, the vehicle had been sold to undercover detectives on Sept. 5, 2006. According to the indictment, McCaffrey submitted a fraudulent affidavit to Geico Insurance Company claiming that his vehicle was stolen and received $13,000 from Geico to which he was not entitled.

State v. Natividad Lopez. Lopez, 33, of Passaic, was charged with insurance fraud, theft by deception, tampering with public records or information (all third-degree) as well as fourth-degree falsifying records. The indictment alleges that Lopez falsely reported to the Passaic Police Department, and reported in a fraudulent affidavit to the IFA Insurance Company, that her 2000 Jaguar S had been stolen on Sept. 1, 2006. In fact, the vehicle had been sold to undercover detectives on Aug. 23, 2006. As a result of the alleged fraud, IFA Insurance paid the lien holder of the Jaguar $16,400 for the car.

State v. Caseem Gresham. Gresham, 36, of Saddle Brook, was charged with insurance fraud, theft by deception, tampering with public records or information (all third-degree), and fourth-degree falsifying records. The indictment alleges that on Oct. 30, 2006 Gresham falsely reported to the Garfield Police Department that his 2005 Honda Accord had been stolen, when in fact the vehicle had been sold to undercover detectives on Oct. 26, 2006. The indictment charges that Gresham subsequently submitted a fraudulent affidavit to First Trenton Companies/Travelers Insurance Company claiming that his vehicle had been stolen. As a result, Gresham allegedly received $11,400 from Travelers to which he was not entitled.

State v. Gladys Ramos. Ramos, 26, of Paterson, was charged with insurance fraud, theft by deception, and tampering with public records or information (all third-degree). It is charged that on Oct. 5, 2006, Ramos fraudulently reported to the Paterson Police Department that her 2006 Chevrolet Equinox had been stolen when, in fact, the vehicle had been sold to undercover detectives on Sept. 29, 2006. The indictment further alleges that Ramos submitted a false vehicle theft claim to Allstate Insurance Company and illegally received $19,600 from Allstate.

“Too many people are willing to lie to the police and to insurance companies, claiming their car was stolen in order to avoid car payments, repair bills or expensive end-of-lease payments,” Acting Fraud Prosecutor Dagli said. “The Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor will continue to investigate and prosecute automobile “give up” cases.”

Detective Vincent Gaeta and Deputy Attorney General John J. Higgins were assigned to the investigation into this case. Higgins presented the cases to the state grand jury. Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Dagli thanked Geico Insurance Company, IFA Insurance Company, First Trenton Companies/Travelers Insurance Company and the Allstate Insurance Company for their assistance in the investigations.

The indictments are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Second-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. Third-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000, while fourth-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 18 months in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

http://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases09/pr20090923a.html

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