New Jersey Man Charged In $500K Life Insurance Fraud
TRENTON – Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) announced that a Bergen County man has been charged in an insurance fraud scheme in which he allegedly used the death of an acquaintance to try to cash in a $500,000 insurance policy he had fraudulently obtained in the name of another man.
Donald Blake, 45, of Maywood, was indicted on second-degree attempted theft by deception and third-degree counts of conspiracy and insurance fraud in the alleged scam that began with the death of a man who apparently died in his sleep at a home in Elizabeth in November 2013.
According to prosecutors, the dead man, who was an acquaintance of Blake, was deliberately misidentified to authorities as “John White,” who purportedly lived with his “son-in-law” Blake and had died while visiting relatives. Four years earlier, Blake had taken out a $500,000 life insurance policy with Household Life Insurance in the name of his father-in-law John White. Blake attempted to cash in that policy upon the death of the man in Elizabeth, prosecutors said.
In reality, Blake had no father-in-law named John White, and the John White whose personal information was listed on the Household Life Insurance policy is alive in New York and has no apparent connection to Blake, prosecutors said.
“We are alleging that this was an elaborate scheme concocted to steal half a million dollars from an insurance company,” said Attorney General Porrino. “This defendant allegedly took out a sham life insurance policy in the name of a stranger, then spent years just waiting for someone to die so he could cash it in.”
“When you strip away the macabre details of this alleged con, it’s a classic example of the kind of fraud that undermines the integrity of the insurance system,” said Christopher Iu, Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor. “When dishonest people lie and cheat to illegally collect payouts, it drives up costs for everyone.”
The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $150,000; third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $15,000.
Deputy Attorney General Michael Clore presented the case to the grand jury. Detectives Justin Callahan, Ronald Allen, Little Wright, and Investigator Marwa Kashef coordinated the investigation.
Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Iu 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 at 1-877-55-FRAUD, or visiting the Web site at www.NJInsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit a reward to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance
An early Friday morning cruiser crash sent two Philadelphia police officers to the hospital. (WPVI)
Friday, December 16, 2016 08:24AM
SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- An early Friday morning cruiser crash sent two Philadelphia police officers to the hospital.
It happened before 2 a.m. at the intersection of Broad Street and Snyder Avenue in South Philadelphia.
The accident involved the cruiser and another vehicle.
One officer hurt his head and the other suffered a leg injury.
Neither injuries are considered life-threatening.
The two occupants of the other car were treated for minor injuries.
There is no word on what caused the two-car collision.
Police say one person is dead after a fire erupted inside a house in Southwest Philadelphia. (WPVI)
Updated 36 mins ago
SOUTHWEST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police say one person is dead after a fire erupted inside a house in Southwest Philadelphia.
It happened around 4 a.m. Friday on the 1200 block of South Millick Street.
Firefighters arrived to heavy flames showing from a second floor bedroom.
Officials say a young man was found dead inside the home.
Another victim from the same home, a 39-year-old man was pulled from the house.
He suffered burns over sixty percent of his body, and was taken to the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. He is listed in serious condition.
The fire spread to neighboring houses. At least four homes were damaged.
A SEPTA bus is available for residents who can't stay in their homes.
The Red Cross is assisting five families, and a total of eleven people with food, water and lodging.
Red Paw is also helping with family pets.
There is no word on what caused the deadly blaze.
ITD worker killed in snow plow accident
December 15th, 2016 By: Steve Bertel, KIVI
BOISE (KIVI) — Investigators from both the Boise County Sheriff’s Office and the Idaho Transportation Department are looking into the cause of an accident that killed an Idaho Transportation Department worker about 9:30 Tuesday morning.
ITD spokesman Jake Melder says Byran Bidegain was killed while working with a rotary (snow) plow. “Bidegain is a road maintenance worker, who has worked at ITD for a little over five years. His job is to keep roadways clear and operate snow plows,” Melder stated.
It happened along Highway 21, near milepost 52, at the Mores Creek Summit.
In a prepared statement, ITD officials said, “Tragically, the Idaho Transportation Department lost a family member this morning. Byran Bidegain, a maintenance worker from the Idaho City area, died on the job near Idaho 21. Byran was a dedicated employee, friend and colleague. We send our deepest condolences and ask the public respect his family and colleagues as they cope with his loss.”
“The death is being ruled an accident,” said Boise County Deputy Coroner Mike Johnson. “Apparently, he was trying to unclog snow from the plow and was dragged into the rotor blades.”
Several snowmobilers in the area at the time heard the machine running, shut it off, then discovered Bidegain’s body. With no cell phone service in the area, the snowmobilers drove some twenty miles to the Boise County Sheriff’s Office in Idaho City.
Bidegain was 62, Johnson said.
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ITD mourns death of employee killed unclogging snowplow blades
By Katy Moeller
A 62-year-old Idaho Transportation Department employee was unclogging the augers of a rotary snowplow Tuesday morning when he was dragged into the machine, according to Boise County Deputy Coroner Mike Johnson.
The man, identified by ITD as Byran Bidegain, died at the scene from blunt force trauma, Johnson said.
State transportation department officials released this statement:
“Tragically the Idaho Transportation Department lost a family member this morning. Byran Bidegain, a maintenance worker from the Idaho City area, died on the job near Idaho 21. Byran was a dedicated employee, friend and colleague. We send our deepest condolences and ask the public respect his family and colleagues as they cope with his loss.”
ITD spokesman Vince Trimboli said Bidegain, who lived in Idaho City, worked for the department for about five years as a transportation technician.
The accident happened before 10 a.m. on Idaho 21 at the Mores Creek Summit park and ski lot.
Johnson said snowmobilers saw the man working on the snowplow and a few minutes later discovered that he’d been fatally injured.
Idaho State Police are investigating. ISP Captain Bill Gardiner said Tuesday afternoon that he had few details because the trooper investigating the incident was still at the scene.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration won’t be investigating because it has jurisdiction over only private and federal employees.
Dave Kearns, OSHA area director, said he hopes that ITD does an investigation to find out exactly what happened — and to figure out how to prevent such an accident from occurring again.
Johnson said an autopsy will be conducted.
UPDATE: Factory worker died of asphyxiation
Wednesday, December 14, 2016 1:48 p.m. CST
STRATFORD, WI (WSAU-WAOW) The worker who died at A&B Process Systems in Stratford has been identified, and the cause of death has been determined. Stratford police say 26-year-old Nicholas Smith of Marshfield died of asphyxiation by argon gas, a type of gas used in welding at A&B Process Systems.
Smith is a welder. He had gone back in to an enclosed area to clean up, but all of the gas was not out of the area.
Police said first responders were called to the scene at 1am Wednesday., he was pronounced dead at the hospital. Several employees also tried to revive him before first responders arrived.
No foul play is expected.
OSHA is also investigating the death.
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STRATFORD, WI (WSAU) -- A 26-year-old man was found unresponsive at a factory in Stratford near the end of the plant's second shift.
Local police and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are investigating. The employee was found unresponsive around 1 a.m. Wednesday at A&B Process Systems.
Curt Schmidt, Director of Human Resources for A&B Process Systems, has confirmed that first-responders rushed the man to St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield, where he was pronounced dead.
The plant is closed Wednesday during the investigation. Schmidt said, "Tomorrow morning, we will have counselling available to everyone and everybody that needs it throughout the entire day. At this point, that's what we're providing."
No foul play is expected by Stratford police. A&B Process Systems provides stainless steel fabrication and industrial engineering services.
