Aggrostats

Baton Rouge, LA – Over the past two months, Troopers assigned to the Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud/Auto Theft Unit brought numerous criminal investigations to conclusion resulting in thirty-four arrests. LSP Investigators work closely with the LA Department of Insurance, local judicial offices, and the Louisiana Attorney General’s office in successfully bringing individuals involved in committing insurance fraud to justice. The LSP Insurance Fraud Unit has field offices located throughout the state in which Troopers investigate various types of insurance fraud cases such as staged crashes, “jump-in” crashes, fraudulent injury claims, worker’s compensation fraud, forged medical records, and inflated property claims.

Summarized below are several accounts of frequently observed acts of Insurance Fraud, including staged or “jump-in” crashes. Whereas motor vehicle crashes are a daily occurrence on our roadways, intentional or staged crashes cost the U.S. property/casualty insurance industry billions of dollars in fraudulent claims each year.

On March 10, 2015, LSP Insurance Fraud Investigators arrested 34 year old Trevor Sanders of LaPlace, LA, with one count of Insurance Fraud following his involvement in a staged crash. The investigation revealed that Sanders was paid by 34 year old Eric Kenner to rent a U-Haul truck, which was then involved in a prearranged crash with Kenner and his Cadillac Escalade. Following the crash, Kenner reported an injury claim with Repwest Insurance Company for both himself and his juvenile son, who was not in the vehicle at the time of the crash. Sanders, already incarcerated in the St. John the Baptist Parish Prison on an unrelated offense, was re-booked on the fraud charge. Kenner remains at-large.

In March 2015, LSP Insurance Fraud Troopers arrested 34 year old Colleen Brown of New Orleans, LA, 32 year old Tiffany Brown of Metairie, LA, and 31 year old Joseph Livaccari of New Orleans for Insurance Fraud following their involvement in an alleged staged crash in Orleans Parish. The State Police investigation revealed that C. Brown, T. Brown, Livaccari, and a fourth subject, 47 year old Chester Brown of Metairie, provided material misrepresentation relating to a property loss with injury to GEICO and State Farm Insurance Companies. LSP Troopers arrested C. Brown on March 19, Livaccari on March 26, and T. Brown on March 30, 2015. All subjects were booked into Orleans Parish Correctional Center. Chester Brown was arrested in Florida and is awaiting extradition by LSP Troopers.

In a separate investigation in March 2015, LSP Insurance Fraud Troopers arrested 43 year old Roxanne Battle of Marthaville, LA, and 29 year old Lemian Colbert of Natchitoches, LA, on charges of Criminal Conspiracy and Insurance Fraud following a complaint from the Louisiana Department Insurance on behalf of Go Auto Insurance. Battle claimed her vehicle was parked on the shoulder of the roadway with a flat tire when a passing motorist, Colbert, stopped to provide assistance. When Colbert exited his vehicle, it rolled backwards hitting Battle’s vehicle. As Battle filed vehicle damage and bodily injury claims for herself and her minor child with Go Auto, she indicated that she did not know Colbert prior to the incident. The State Police investigation revealed that Battle and Colbert were related and had been involved in three prior insurance claims. It was also revealed that Battle’s minor child was not in the vehicle at the time of the incident. Battle was arrested on March 24 and Colbert was arrested on March 25 by LSP Troopers; both were booked into the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center without incident.

On March 25, 2015, LSP Insurance Fraud Troopers arrested 26 year old Kayla Clark of Iowa, LA, on one count of Insurance Fraud following her fraudulent injury claim to Progressive Insurance. The State Police investigation determined that Clark claimed injuries from a single vehicle crash with her children and submitted fraudulent injury claims for each of them. Upon discovery of the fraudulent claim and Clark’s intent to commit Insurance Fraud, she was placed into custody and booked into the Calcasieu Parish Correctional Center.

In addition to the above cases, the following individuals were charged in separate investigations over the past two months on various insurance fraud and auto theft related crimes as a result of numerous statewide investigations conducted by the Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud/Auto Theft Unit, along with the defrauded insurance carrier.

· Carlanda Isaac, 41 years old of New Orleans - two counts of Insurance Fraud; Progressive Insurance Company

· Stephanica Bradley, 30 years old, and Alden Arguello, 30 years old, both of Kenner – one count each of Falsifying Public Documents and Insurance Fraud; Progressive Insurance Company

· Tywanda Cannon, 31 years old of Ethel – one count of Insurance Fraud; Farmers Insurance Company

· Shelby McGlory, 29 years old of Marksville - one count of Insurance Fraud; Blue Cross Blue Shield

· Brent H. Wegman, 49 years old of Metairie – one count of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle

· William D. Hoof, 66 years old of Coushatta - one count of Insurance Fraud; Farm Bureau Insurance Company

· Noah J. Bell, Jr., 31 years old of Monroe - one count of Insurance Fraud; Progressive Insurance Company

· Nasser Elayan, 43 years old of Hammond - one count of Insurance Fraud; State Farm Insurance Company

· Rhanauta R. Richardson , 34 years old of Delhi - one count of Insurance Fraud; Go Auto Insurance Company

· Heather Livers, 40 years old of Ponchatoula - one count of Insurance Fraud; State Farm Insurance Company

· Thomas Fortinberry, 37 years old of Youngsville – one count of Possession of Stolen Things

· Norman Sims, 32 years old of New Orleans – one count of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle

· Thomas Robertson, 33 years old of New Orleans – one count of Possession of a Stolen Firearm

· Rusty Faul, 40 years old of Lafayette – one count of Damage to Property with Intent to Defraud; TD Auto Finance

· Klairone Coleman, 38 years old of Natchitoches – one count of Forgery and Insurance Fraud; Progressive Insurance Company

· Kevin Johnson, 36 years old New Orleans – one count each of Filing False Public Records and Insurance Fraud; Go-Auto Insurance Company

· Connina Leggett, 36 years old of New Orleans – one count of Insurance Fraud; Go-Auto Insurance Company

· Rakisha Newkirk, 26 years old of New Orleans – one count of Insurance Fraud; Repwest Insurance Company

· Latricia Latchie-Coleman, 32 years old of Natchitoches –one count of Criminal Conspiracy; Progressive Insurance Company

· Romona Terrell of Baton Rouge – one count of Insurance Fraud; USAA Insurance

· Cassandra Odds, 54 years old of New Orleans – one count of Possession of Stolen Things

· Chirjuan D. Washington, 32 years old of Shreveport – one count of Possession of a Fraudulent Insurance Identification Card

· Marilyn Faulk, 31 years old of Lafayette – one count of Insurance Fraud; Safeway Insurance Company

· Johnathan Shane Roberts, 41 years old of Shreveport - one count of Insurance Fraud; State Farm Insurance Company

· Jordan M. Williams, 18 years old and Dekietrich J. Marshall, 19 years old, both of Mansfield - one count each of Insurance Fraud