FORT EDWARD, NY — Two people face a five-count felony indictment in Washington County Court alleging insurance fraud after a 2013 house fire, court records show.
Robert P. Smilansky, 60, of Salem, was charged with felony counts of grand larceny, insurance fraud and forgery after an investigation by the state Department of Finance into alleged insurance fraud, according to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.
Another person was also listed as being indicted, but she had not been arrested as of Thursday and her name was not released.
Washington County District Attorney Tony Jordan said the allegations related to claims that were filed by Smilansky and the other person after the fire for reimbursement of housing expenses. He is accused of fabricating thousands of dollars worth of vouchers that were paid.
The theft amounted to more than $3,000 but less than $50,000, Jordan said.
Jordan said it was unclear how the Department of Finance became aware of the alleged fraud. A call to the agency was not returned Thursday.
Smilansky was arrested by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday and held in Washington County Jail pending arraignment Thursday.
With the consent of Jordan’s office, Washington County Judge Kelly McKeighan agreed to release Smilansky on his own recognizance after his lawyer, Dustin Bruhns, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
He faces up to 7 years in state prison on the grand larceny and forgery counts.
Prior media reports show Smilansky was also arrested by the Sheriff’s Office on felony charges in 2013 related to accusations he falsely reported his income to receive $5,644 in food stamps and Medicaid benefits, police said.
The file from that case is sealed, which means there was a disposition in his favor.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. -
A DeKalb County accountant is accused of falsifying multiple life insurance applications and collecting over $11,000 in death benefits.
FOX 5 News was there as police and state fraud investigators arrested Earle M. Turner Sr. at his Covington Highway office.
Detectives said they began investigating Turner last May when an insurance company contacted the Georgia Department of Insurance after realizing they had three life insurance policies with Turner listed as the beneficiary. The policyholders had no idea, according to police.
The 67-year-old Certified Public Accountant (CPA) has been charged with 19 counts of insurance fraud, 11 counts of identity fraud, and one count of theft by deception.
Police said all of the victims were Turner's clients, who he was filing taxes for.
If convicted, Turner could face up to 10 years in state prison.
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Warrants: Man illegally got life insurance on 19 seniors in DeKalb
Joshua Sharpe The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1:11 p.m Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017
DeKalb County, GA
Channel 2 Action News Earle Turner Sr., a DeKalb County accountant, was arrested Wednesday on accusations of taking out life insurance policies on unsuspecting elderly people.
A DeKalb County accountant was arrested Wednesday on charges of insurance fraud for allegedly taking out life insurance policies on 19 elderly customers without permission.
Earle Turner Sr., 67, faces 30 various counts of insurance and identity fraud, according to a news release from Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens.
“Apprehending this suspect is a victory for all Georgia insurance consumers,” said Hudgens.
According to the release, Mutual of Omaha notified Georgia officials of suspected fraudulent activity by Turner after finding him as the beneficiary of three policies. The three victims said they hadn’t given Turner, who runs an office on Covington Highway, permission to take out the policies.
The investigation eventually found all 19 policies, each of which bore the name of one of Turner’s customers. Five of them died while he allegedly had policies in their names, but only one policy of $10,000 fully paid out.
“Fortunately our investigators stopped this scheme before more policies were submitted without the consumer’s knowledge,” Deputy Insurance Commissioner Jay Florence said.
A warehouse in the Botanical Heights neighborhood partially collapsed as St. Louis fire crews were battling a five-alarm fire Wednesday.
Shortly after 11:30 a.m., firefighters reported a partial collapse of the Park Warehouse Service building in the 3900 block of Park Avenue, where at least 80 firefighters were working to extinguish a blaze that began more than an hour earlier.
A fire department pumper truck was damaged when a portion of the building collapsed, according to officials.
According to fire officials, plastics in the basement of the warehouse caught fire. Officials said they were concerned because there were pallets of magnesium in the basement. A hazmat team was called to the area because of the magnesium but it was believed the fire has not reached the pallets.
Just after 10:45 a.m., fire officials reported that a worker was transported urgently due to smoke inhalation.
A firefighter on the scene told News 4 two firefighters were transported from the scene. One of the firefighters suffered smoke inhalation and it is currently unknown what injuries the other sustained. The official said the injuries are not believed to be serious.
Capt. Garon Mosby told News 4 there was no immediate threat to surrounding buildings.
Other details regarding the fire have not been released.
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ST. LOUIS, MO (KMOV.com) – A Botanical Heights neighborhood warehouse continues to burn Thursday morning.
Shortly after 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, firefighters reported a partial collapse of the Park Warehouse Service building in the 3900 block of Park Avenue, where at least 100 firefighters were working to extinguish a five-alarm fire that began more than an hour earlier.
A fire department pumper truck was damaged when a portion of the building collapsed. No firefighters were inside the truck when the damaged occurred. The department said the truck was purchased in 2004 and cost about $750,000 but is estimated to cost nearly $1 million to replace in 2017.
“It was making like a rocket jet noise and when that happened you could see the roof separate from the outside of the wall, then you could see the flames and the whole wall just came down,” a witness of the collapse said. “I was 30 feet away from it, if it wasn’t for the fire truck sitting there we probably would’ve got debris on us.”
Wednesday afternoon, fire department officials said, in vague detail, the fire contains hazardous material. They are advising people to avoid breathing in the smoke. Initially, it was reported there were drums of magnesium in the basement of the fire, but that was later deemed to be inaccurate. Fire department spokesman Garon Mosby said details were still unavailable about what materials may be burning and advised residents to shelter in place and turn off their HVAC units.
Authorities said they are also concerned about lung irritation from the smoke plume.
The Shriners of St. Louis said toys meant for the Shriners’ Hospital Christmas party were inside the building. The warehouse also housed more 150,000 citronella candles, Styrofoam and thousands of books from Reedy Press.
Local authors getting ready for book signings and holiday sales said the fire will be devastating for the gift-giving season. Most of the authors are St. Louis based. The employees of Reedy Press are safe.
In total, authorities said four people, including two firefighters, were treated at a local hospital for smoke inhalation and released.
Mosby told News 4 there was no immediate threat to surrounding buildings.
According to fire officials, plastics in the basement of the warehouse caught fire.
Construction Worker dies from injuries sustained in construction accident
By Tom Smith Senior Staff Writer
FLORENCE, AL — A man working on the development of a new apartment complex in west Florence died Wednesday evening from injuries he sustained in a construction accident earlier in the day, authorities said.
Florence police detective Sgt. Greg Cobb confirmed this morning that the man had died. He did not release the name but did say the man was from Cherokee.
Cobb said the accident was reported to police at 11:55 a.m.
Emergency personnel at the scene said the man was apparently injured when he walked behind a bulldozer and was struck.
Authorities said the man was taken by Shoals Ambulance to Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital.
The apartment complex is being developed by Mallory and Evans Development of Scottdale, Georgia. The contractor for this development is Montgomery Martin Contractors based out of Memphis.
The Bellamy Florence is a $24 million 420-bed community near the University of North Alabama in Florence, Alabama.
Cobb said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident.
This is a so-called backover death when the worker is killed by a construction equipment, truck, etc at the equipment is backing up. They are easily avoidable with proper training of the workers and a proper site safety plan.
FLORENCE-The Florence Police Department released a statement concerning the death of a construction worker on Wednesday, November 15:
“Florence Police, Fire, and EMS
responded to a construction accident at the site of the new apartments
being developed by Mallory and Evans Development of Scottsdale, GA. This
site sets off of W Irvine Ave in West Florence. The Contractor for this
development is Montgomery Martin Contractors based out of Memphis, TN.
At around 11:55am we received the
call of the accident. When EMS arrived they found a male laying on the
ground that was hit by a bulldozer. Shoals Ambulance services
transported the subject to ECM Hospital where he died of his injuries.
The worker was from Cherokee, Al, but no other information can be
released until we are sure his family has been notified. No other
workers were injured during this accident. OSHA has been contacted to
conduct the investigation into this accident.
We will assist them anyway
we can. After the accident the construction work was stopped by the
superintendent of the site.”
Fatal fall investigation results in citation and fine for Aberdeen lumber mill
October 25, 2017 #17-042
Tumwater, WA – An Aberdeen lumber mill has been fined $112,000 for safety violations following the death of a worker last April. Andrew Ward, 41, died when he fell from an elevated platform where he was working to the concrete surface below.
An investigation by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has found and cited Sierra Pacific Industries for seven safety violations at the lumber mill where the incident happened.
L&I's investigation found that a section of permanent yellow guardrail was removed from the 17-and-a-half-foot-high platform and replaced with yellow caution tape so that a crane could move some equipment. When Ward went to the edge of the platform to communicate with the crane operator below, he leaned forward and fell.
The investigation found that the employer knew that caution tape cannot be used in place of guardrails at a high elevation, but still regularly allowed it to happen. Additionally, the employer was required to provide workers with a fall protection system, such as a harness, lanyard and tie-off point, while working on the elevated platform without adequate guardrails, and when removing them.
As a result, Sierra Pacific has been cited for a willful violation, the most serious, with the maximum penalty of $70,000 for not ensuring that an open-sided work platform was adequately guarded and for not ensuring employees wore fall protection equipment.
"A death like this is especially tragic because it was completely preventable by using proper fall protection and following safe work practices," said Anne Soiza, L&I's assistant director for the Division of Occupational Safety and Health. "Falls are the leading cause of worker deaths and immediate hospitalizations. Employers need to be vigilant about preventing falls."
The employer was cited for an additional six serious violations, each with the maximum penalty of $7,000. Those violations covered a range of serious hazards that exposed workers to harm, including ineffective safety and health training; a safety program that wasn't tailored to company operations; inadequate personal protective equipment training; untrained crane personnel; and not following safety precautions required for open flame work.
Because of the willful violation that led to the death of a worker, Sierra Pacific Industries has been placed on the severe violator list and will be subject to follow-up inspections to determine if the conditions still exist in the future.
The company has appealed the violations.
For a copy of the citation or a photo, contact Public Affairs at 360-902-5413.
