A Moreno Valley, California man could face charges for fraudulently claiming he was injured when he ran for his life from the collapsing World Trade Center Towers. Keith Way, 47, claimed to have received burns on his face while escaping down the stairs of one of the towers. He later recanted his story, admitting that... Read More
Woman Busted On Workers’ Compensation Fraud Allegation
A 37-year-old Riverside woman has been arrested by California Department of Insurance (CDI) investigators on workers’ compensation fraud and perjury charges. Martha Rodriguez (aka Graciela Castro) was booked into Riverside County Jail on a $5,000 felony warrant. CDI investigators said that in December 1998, Rodriguez alleged an injury as a temporary employee for a staffing... Read More
A task force including the California Department of Insurance (CDI) has put the kibosh on a multi-million scam, resulting in the sentencing of a Sacramento man who conspired in a complicated nationwide insurance scheme intended to defraud investors and the insurance industry. The 15-month joint investigation code-named “Operation Cleansheet” was conducted by CDI Fraud Division and Investigations... Read More
Work Comp Fraud Brings $728,000 Tab for Restitution
A San Jose man has agreed to pay $728,000 in restitution for insurance fraud after pleading no contest to three felony counts in Santa Clara County Superior Court. Daniel Francis Elliot Jr., 52, was charged with providing false or fraudulent information to reduce workers’ compensation premiums with two separate WC insurance carriers. Elliot was also charged with willfully... Read More
Even the Poet / Philosopher Virgil Reminds Us, “Rumor Flies…”
“Hey, Matt, did you hear about…?” Uh-oh. Another slippery item has tumbled out of the Rumor Mill. Sure, rumors happen all the time. Their origins can be highly ambiguous, mysterious and often take on a life, even if ephemeral, of their own. adjustercom recently fielded “strong rumors” that the venerable Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. was... Read More
The specter of a third blow resulting from the 1994 Northridge earthquake is on the minds of homeowners and a nonprofit victims’ organization in and around ground zero of the January 1994 shaker that caused 57 deaths and at least $15 billion in property damage. “Seven years ago, people were victimized by a massive earthquake,”... Read More
California Quake Insurance Scandal Jolts Former Commissioner’s Aide
The first criminal charges to emerge from former California Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush’s quake scandal, has landed a top aide on the hot seat. George Grays, a former deputy insurance commissioner and Quackenbush campaign associate, pleaded guilty Jan. 16 to taking $170,900 in kickbacks for diverting money from a $12 million insurance settlement fund. Grays’ injudicious... Read More
