SEVENTEEN CHARGED WITH FILING MORE THAN $130,000 IN FRAUDULENT WORKERS' COMPENSATION CLAIMS
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, joined by Superintendent Neil D. Levin of the State Department of Insurance, officials of the New York State Insurance Fund and the Workers' Compensation Board's Inspector General's Office announced today that 17 individuals have been charged with bilking the State Insurance Fund and various commercial insurance carriers of over $130,000 in workers' compensation benefits by falsely claiming they were disabled. Eleven of those charged were arrested today and the remaining defendants are expected to surrender early next week.
District Attorney Brown said: "The Workers Compensation Law has been protecting American workers and their families since 1914. Every year millions of dollars in workers' compensation claims are paid out by our State Insurance Fund and commercial insurance carriers for losses suffered by individuals as a result of injuries sustained in the workplace.. Most of the claims filed are legitimate. Unfortunately, however, from time to time some individuals are found to have abused the system. And, unfortunately, that money paid on fraudulent claims ends up coming out of the pockets of the consuming public."
The District Attorney added, "Most of the individuals charged today are alleged to have stolen thousands of dollars in workers' compensation benefits by claiming to have been so severely hurt while on the job that they could not continue to work. It is alleged, however, that while collecting the benefits, they were gainfully employed at various jobs including some that required a high degree of physical activity."
John H. Burgher, Inspector General, Office of New York State Workers’ Compensation Fraud Investigations said, "These arrests demonstrate Governor George Pataki’s continued commitment to reducing workers’ compensation costs in New York. By aggressively investigating suspected fraud committed by unscrupulous claimants, attorneys, employers, medical providers and insurance providers, the Office of New York State Workers’ Compensation Fraud Inspector General is sending a clear message that breaking the laws of New York State will result in serious consequences."
"The Insurance Department's aggressive work with Queens County officials has resulted in savings for New York State's consumers," said Department of Insurance Superintendent Neil D. Levin. "The real beneficiaries of arrests of workers' compensation fraud suspects are New York's honest businesses and consumers. This is another example of what a statewide effort can produce."
"The New York State Insurance Fund and the law enforcement community involved in these cases are doing extraordinary work in fighting workers’ compensation fraud," Henry Neal Conolly, the Executive Director of the New York State Insurance Fund, said, "NYSIF has been very successful in cracking down on fraud thanks to a commitment from law enforcement agencies, such as the Queens District Attorney’s office. NYSIF pursues prosecution of claimants, medical providers and policy holders who commit fraud against the workers' compensation system."
District Attorney Brown said that today's arrests were the result of a joint investigation by the District Attorney's Economic Crimes Bureau, Detective Giacomo Maniscalco of the District Attorney’s New York City Police Department Office Squad under supervision of Sgt. Frank Russo, Lt. Kenneth Rosello and Capt. Harold J. Knorr, investigators from the Fraud Units of the New York State Insurance Department under the supervision of Director Charles DeRienzo and Supervisor Harry Jackson and Director Laurence LaPointe of the State Insurance Fund, Division of Confidential Investigations, in cooperation with representatives of the various commercial insurance carriers involved and Scott E. Jaffer, Assistant Inspector General of the Workers Compensation Board's Inspector General’s Office.
Assistant District Attorneys Lourdes M. Ventura and David Chen, under the supervision of Brian J. Mich, Bureau Chief, Economic Crimes Bureau and John R. Mechmann, Deputy Bureau Chief of Computer Crime Bureau under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney Peter A. Crusco, are in charge of the case.
Those arrested include:
| Name | Date of Birth | Address | Charges |
| CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY GRECO | 01/14/72 |
256 Union Street |
Grand Larceny in the Third Degree
$5,582.77 |
| CARLOS FAJARDO | 09/28/66 |
43-02 111th Street |
Grand Larceny in the Third Degree
$5,760.00 |
| JEFF ROSENZWEIG | 01/05/56 |
67-66 108th Street |
Grand Larceny in the Third Degree
$42,629.58 |
| RUBEN ROGERS | 02/11/57 |
92057 217th Street |
Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in
the Second Degree |
| ANGELO CORDERO | 04/26/75 |
164-14 65th Avenue |
Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree
$1,500.00 |
| HECTOR ARIAS |
22-26 Steinway Street |
Grand Larceny in the Third Degree
$4,491.12 |
|
| ASGHAR KHAN | 01/01/66 |
1644 Madison Street |
Grand Larceny in the Third Degree
$4,324.00 |
| KWAWAJA ABDUL QAYUM | 10/16/52 |
190-06D 69th Avenue |
Grand Larceny in the Third Degree $4,800.00 |
| JORGE VILCHES | 02/12/46 |
62-11 80th Road |
Grand Larceny in the Third Degree
$4,363.00 |
| SUHAIL SAMI | 03/13/50 |
20-29 23rd Street |
Insurance Fraud in the Third Degree |
| IRINA PUGLISI | 01/04/54 |
67-38 108th Street |
Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree
$1,040.00 |
*There are 6 other individuals whose insurance frauds amount to $47,573.00 to be arrested, upon surrender, next week.
It should be noted that an arrest is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.