County officer, others accused of insurance fraud

A St. Joseph County police officer and two others have been charged with insurance fraud after authorities learned of a plan they made almost six years ago to falsify the details of a car crash.

Patrolman Gary L. Newcomb, 35, his former wife, RaLynne Newcomb, 38, and James M. Miller, 32, were each charged Friday with one count of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, a Class C felony.

The charges stem from an Aug. 31, 2003, incident where Newcomb allegedly crashed a car that Miller had rented. Newcomb was in the process of demonstrating his recently learned Emergency Vehicle Operator Course maneuvers, court documents say.

Because Newcomb had reportedly been drinking before the crash and the trio were worried about liability and professional ramifications, the three allegedly decided not to report the true circumstances of the accident, according to a court affidavit.

Instead, Newcomb, his then-wife — who had been a front-seat passenger — and Miller agreed they would report that it had been Miller who was driving and that the accident happened when he swerved to miss a deer.

The Newcombs also promised to pay Miller for any expenses and increased insurance premiums related to the crash, according to court documents.

The untrue version of events was later reiterated to an Indiana State Police officer as well as to Miller’s insurance company, Farm Bureau Insurance. The company had paid Hertz Corp., which owned the vehicle, more than $17,000 for the damaged car, according to the affidavit.

Miller’s insurance company later told authorities that they would not have paid anything on the claim had they known someone other than Miller was driving the rented vehicle.

In an interview with Indiana State Police, Gary Newcomb reportedly admitted that he was driving the car at the time of the crash and that it was not caused by a deer, but by his attempt at the driving maneuvers he had learned at the police academy.

When reached late afternoon Friday, county police spokesman Sgt. Bill Redman said he had just recently learned of the charges and that Newcomb would be placed on administrative leave with pay, pending an internal investigation.

Newcomb has been a county police officer since 2002 and currently works as a road patrolman.

Bonds for the Newcombs and Miller were each set at $1,000. Redman said Newcomb was planning to turn himself in Friday. None of the three had yet done so as of late Friday afternoon.

Alicia Gallegos
http://www.wsbt.com/

Homeowners Insurance Quotes for First-Time Homeowners

A homeowners insurance guide teaches first-time homeowners how to find the right coverage to protect their home from a disaster.

Buying a home for the first time can be an exciting experience for many new homeowners. But it can also be tiring, stressful and overwhelming, especially when it comes time to find the right insurance to protect their home from future catastrophes.

It is impossible for homeowners to predict the next disaster to strike their home, nor to know how much money they will need to dish out for repairs and replacement costs to their assets. But with homeowners insurance rates rising to 3 percent this year, more people than ever will need to find the best homeowners insurance coverage at an affordable price.

InsuranceAgents.com recommends for first-time home buyers to shop online for the best homeowners insurance quotes offered by insurance agents and insurance companies. However, homeowners should be warned that the lowest price does not necessarily mean the best coverage. For the best coverage and rate, homeowners shop around to compare and contrast different insurance quotes, before selecting the first one offered by a homeowners insurance company.

To further protect their home from a disaster, homeowners will have to document all of their belongings and valuables in case of the likelihood of forgetting important assets. Above all of this, however, homeowners are strongly encouraged to investigate any homeowners insurance company or insurance agent that wishes to do business with them to prevent future surprises, such as insurance fraud or poor service.

Finding the right homeowners insurance may take some time for any first-time homeowner, but having the right coverage plan for their needs should ultimately save them money in the event of a disaster.

Visit InsuranceAgents.com for expert articles and insurance quotes from up to 5 local agents.
http://insurancenewsnet.com/

Louisiana Windshield Repair Technician Arrested for Insurance Fraud

A windshield repair technician in Gonzales, La., was arrested last week by the Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud Unit for allegedly double-billing insurance companies for repairs, according to information from the Louisiana State Police. Bradley M. Businger, 26, worked for Crack Attack up until December 2008. The police alleged that, during his time with the company, he submitted nearly 30 invoices for repairs he never performed. Both Allstate Insurance and AIG issued complaints to the Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud Unit, which led to the investigation.

According to the report, Businger is alleged to have forged policyholders' signatures to show that they had authorized the work, and the insurers paid approximately $1,919 for the false claims between February and December 2008.

On May 8, Insurance Fraud Unit Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Businger and he was arrested on May 15 and booked in East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on 28 counts of insurance fraud pertaining to auto policies, five counts of forgery, and two counts of felony theft.

http://www.glassbytes.com/

Fraud Cases Rises

Fraud is soaring during the recession and must be made a police priority, the senior officer heading the national drive against economic crime said.

The number of reported frauds rose by 64 per cent during the past financial year, with people from all walks of life falling victim.

Mike Bowron, Commissioner of City of London Police, said that law enforcement agencies could no longer ignore so-called “white-collar crime”. Mr Bowron told The Times: “The notion is that it’s a gentleman’s crime, that the chances of getting caught are slim and, if you are caught, you’ll get two weeks in Ford open prison. Those days are gone. It’s not white-collar crime and I won’t have that phrase mentioned in my force. It is organised crime.

“It is very lucrative crime. There are some very bright individuals who have chosen, for whatever reason, to turn to crime. They are very intelligent, very driven individuals.

“For example, with the downturn in the property market, we are seeing a lot of mortgage fraud, which has been perpetrated by deliberate overvaluing of new developments. Those frauds require conspiracies of bent lawyers, estate agents and developers all working together.

“These are crooks who are not motivated by a heroin habit, or social deprivation and it gives me — as a cop — great satisfaction to catch them.”

The City force has appointed 50 new fraud specialists who, in the space of a year, have begun to investigate new frauds valued at £1 billion and gathered intelligence on cases with potential losses of £500 million.

The value of reported frauds was put at £14 billion in 2005 by independent academics, who said that the amount of total losses — when unreported cases were taken into account — was likely to be closer to £20 billion. The credit crunch has exposed more suspect financial activity, such as the estimated losses of £44 billion by investors in GFX Capital, a foreign exchange dealing business whose head is under police investigation.

Mr Bowron said: “People ask if this is due to the onset of recession, but we don’t think it is. The recession is identifying fraud that already existed in many cases, but it may also be causing some fraudsters to move from one type of activity to another. The pressure on us now is to try and read economic cycles, to predict the next type of fraud.”

The creation of a National Fraud Intelligence Bureau — in which police, banks and insurance companies would work together — is, City police believe, the logical next step to strengthen fraud investigation nationally. Its aim would be to create a map of fraudulent activity and determine how fraudsters in different parts of the country might link up with each other.

“We’re not going to catch every fraudster, but by logging every reported fraud we can work out where things are happening and design means to stop them,” Mr Bowron said.

Where cases can be investigated, City has a 200-strong squad of fraud specialists who can advise other forces or take on inquiries anywhere in the country.

“If we identify a network of criminals working along the M62 corridor, running staged accidents for insurance fraud, then Greater Manchester Police are likely to say ‘we’ve got a gun crime issue, we’ve got a gang issue, we’ll get round to it when we can’. I’m not criticising other chiefs — it’s about priorities,” Mr Bowron said.

“My priority in the City of London isn’t gun crime or hoodies. I don’t have those problems. We can lead on fraud. We can give advice, provide technical expertise or, if a case is really complex, take it on.”

But the most vital forward step in fighting fraud, the City commissioner argues, is educating the public. He praises the Serious Fraud Office’s role in advising the current storyline in The Archers and would like to get a character in Coronation Street ripped off.

“Fraud has not been a priority for either the police or the public, not because nobody understands it but because nobody walks down the street in fear of being embezzled. But the fact is that it is the crime that we are most likely to fall victim to.”

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/