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New Jersey Insurance Fraud Crimes Through the Eyes of a New Jersey Fraud Defense Lawyer

Mar 13th, 2010
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When we mention crime, even white-collar crime, insurance fraud is not what immediately comes to mind. Yet, insurance fraud has lately become one of the front-runners among the most often prosecuted white-collar crimes in New Jersey.

In fact, New Jersey has the toughest criminal insurance fraud statutes in the country. The Health Care Claims Fraud statute, N.J.S.A. 21-4.3 and the Insurance Fraud statute, N.J.S.A. 2C:21-4.6, make many acts of insurance fraud second-degree crimes. For starters, a second-degree crime in New Jersey carries with it a prison term of up to ten years and fines of up to $150,000.

The vast majority of insurance fraud cases in New Jersey are investigated and prosecuted by the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) and these cases involve all thinkable areas of insurance fraud, including health, life, disability, auto, homeowners’ or commercial insurance coverages.

According the 2007 OIFP report, there was “a 10% increase in criminal sentences over last year’s figure and sent defendants to prison for a combined total of 147 years”. The report exemplifies the wide array of individuals who found themselves in trouble for insurance fraud: ” In 2007, OIFP recorded OIFP won convictions of four former police officers, two of whom will serve a total of 12 years in State prison. Four licensed health care providers received State prison sentences totaling 12 years. A licensed insurance agent was sentenced to a five-year State prison term. An auto body shop owner and his accomplice were sent to State prison for a total of nine years. The sentences imposed on several members of vehicle theft rings totaled 77 years in State prison, over $1.8 million in restitution, and $9,500 in civil insurance fraud fines”. The list goes on.

So, what is “insurance fraud” made of? One large area of Insurance fraud in New Jersey is Automobile Insurance Fraud. The most popular crime here is auto theft and “give up schemes”, where the owner or lessee of a car abandons the car or gives it up to a someone who agrees to dispose of the car. Next come staged accidents and fraudulent Personal Injury Protection Claims and criminal use of “runners”. These types of cases normally involve organized rings of “runners”, medical providers, and lawyers. Vehicle Insurance policies in New Jersey provide medical benefits for persons injured in car accidents as part of Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage. PIP insurance typically covers diagnostic testing and treatment for persons injured in automobile accidents. In many cases, uninjured passengers involved in accidents are contacted by “runners” who convince them to file claims for “soft tissue” injuries, such as “whiplash”. Such injuries are not easily verifiable by x-rays and MRI. In the end, “runners” receive their illegal commissions, medical and chiropractic mills provide unnecessary medical services, including fake diagnostic and treatment, for which they bill, and lawyers file unwarranted lawsuits.

Other case involving New Jersey Automobile Insurance Fraud are selling and buying fake insurance ID cards and insurance agent fraud where licensed agents steal insurance premiums or are engaged in fraudulent premium financing schemes.

Another large area that pays bills for New Jersey insurance fraud criminal defense attorneys is Health Care insurance fraud. Most such cases involve submitting fraudulent claims for payment for health care services that were never provided and received. The most often targeted individuals here are New Jersey doctors, dentists, chiropractors, nurses, physical therapists, pharmacists, and social workers.

The most widely used tool in New Jersey heal care insurance fraud prosecutions is the Health Care Claims Fraud status, N.J.S.A. 2C:21-4.3 that makes it a crime for any health care provider just to submit a false claim to insurance companies, no matter what the amount is. A non-provider only needs to submit a false claim for $1,000 to have committed a second-degree crime. Other criminal charges used in prosecutions of New Jersey health care insurance fraud cases are usually charges of theft, conspiracy, and falsifying records.

Another area of New Jersey insurance fraud is life and disability insurance fraud, both governed by the Insurance Fraud Statute, N.J.S.A. 2C:21-4.6. Life insurance fraud offense is submitting a claim that falsely represents death of a claimant or otherwise misrepresenting important facts concerning the claim. Disability fraud involves faking a non-existing condition in order to receive benefits or knowingly failing to disclose new income.

Probably the largest single area of New Jersey Insurance Fraud is Medicaid fraud, which is investigated and prosecuted by the OIFP’s Medicaid Fraud Section. New Jersey Medicaid Fraud can be committed by any health care provider that participates in the Medicaid program. New Jersey physicians, dentists, clinics, chiropractors, pharmacists, laboratories, nursing homes, etc. are routinely prosecuted for New Jersey Medicaid fraud.

The basic New Jersey Medicaid fraud crime involves billing the Medicaid program for services that were never provided or might not be provided by the billing provider, or when the amount billed exceeds the costs of services performed (over billing). Other Medicaid fraud charges in New Jersey may be associated with charges of patient abuse and criminal neglect.

Another related New Jersey Medicaid fraud area is Medicaid prescription and drug diversion fraud. This involves pharmacies billing Medicaid for drugs that were not actually dispensed. Doctors, who sometimes form “partnerships” with pharmacies to engage in this fraud, are understandably find themselves in deep trouble as well.

Home health care fraud is the last largely prosecuted New Jersey Medicaid fraud crime. Medicaid pays for personal care provided for eligible beneficiaries by certified home care assistants, aides, and nurses, all of whom must be certified and licensed by the State to participate in the program. Criminal activities in this are involve billing for services that were not provided, employing non-certified providers, and lying in the certification process.

New Jersey insurance fraud is a wide area and persons facing any of the insurance fraud charges should seek legal counsel as soon as they discover that they are under investigation. A consultation with a competent New Jersey fraud defense attorney is absolutely indispensable.

Joseph Potashnik is an attorney in New York City and New Jersey practicing criminal defense and civil litigation. You can visit his websites at http://www.jpdefense.com (for NYC) and http://www.jpcriminaldefense.com (for NJ)

Sorting Through The Different Types Of Life Insurance

Mar 9th, 2010
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Life insurance is a means for providing financial protection for your family in the event of your death. A life insurance contract is relatively straightforward; you agree to pay a premium at regular intervals, and the insurance company agrees to pay a certain sum of money to your beneficiary upon your death.
There are three parties to a life insurance contract. First, there is the insured. This is the person whose life is being insured under the policy. Next, there is the insurer. The insurer is the insurance company who underwrites the risk. And third, there is the owner. The owner and insured are not necessarily one and the same. Someone can buy a life insurance policy to insure the life of someone else, such as their spouse.
The person who buys the policy is the owner, and the person whose life the policy is based on is the insured. When the owner and the insured are different people, premium payments are the responsibility of the owner.
Every life insurance contract also has a beneficiary. This is the person who receives the proceeds from the policy in the event of the death of the insured, and is assigned by the owner. There are two types. An irrevocable beneficiary can not be changed unless the beneficiary gives his or her permission; if it is revocable, the owner can change it at any time.
The policy is subject to certain terms and conditions. There are usually certain exclusions that apply, depending on the person being insured. But with almost every policy, death as the result of suicide during the first two years of the policy term is excluded from coverage.
Also, during the first two years of the policy, often referred to as the contestable period, the insurance company retains the right to not immediately pay out, even if the death is caused by a condition that is covered in the policy. The company can order an investigation into the death of the insured, to make sure that the death was not deliberate or the result of homicide.
The amount paid to the beneficiary is called the face amount. The maturity date is reached upon either the date when the insured deceases or reaches a certain age. Life insurance is most often used to provide income protection to the spouse of the deceased.
Regardless of the reason for buying the insurance, the owner (if not the same person as the insured), must have an insurable interest. In other words, the owner of the contract must have a reason for wanting to insure the life of that person, otherwise the contract is void.
When the person covered by the policy dies, the insurance company requires proof of death before paying the claim. A notarized death certificate is the most commonly accepted form of proof. The benefit is paid out either as a lump sum or as an annuity that is paid out over time.
Any annuity can be a good way to receive the benefits. It is possible for the beneficiary to set up a lifetime annuity, which would guarantee that person a certain amount of monthly income for the rest of his or her life.
There are two basic types of life insurance, temporary and permanent. Temporary insurance is known as term life. An example of a term policy would be a 20-year term life, which means that the policy will pay a death benefit if the person dies within the next twenty years.
Permanent insurance includes whole life and universal life. Whole life provides for a payout no matter when the person dies, but premiums have to continue to be paid, usually right up until the insured reaches the age of 100. Universal policies are somewhat similar, but they allow for greater premium flexibility. Universal insurance is somewhat complicated; you should talk to an agent before buying it.
I hope this information has helped you become acquainted with life insurance. You should sit down with your spouse and talk about buying a policy. Then, call an agent who works for an insurance company with a strong financial rating and make an appointment to discuss your objectives. Use the information that was presented here to help you make intelligent choices so your family will be protected in the event that something happens to you.

Jim Pretin is the owner of http://www.forms4free.com, a service that helps programmers make an HTML form

Quest for Cheap Insurance Through Life Insurance Quotes Online

Mar 8th, 2010
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Life insurance is one of the important insurances that one can own. The reason is obvious – it provides security to your dependents when life will have its tragic turn. It protects the people depending on you against debt and income when you, as a breadwinner or income earner, leave them behind. Life can sometimes have its unexpected turn. There is no better security that to get life insurance for the people who are depending on you for sustenance.

 

The Need For Cheap Insurance

 

Maybe you do understand the important of life insurance but you may be thinking of how you can have life insurance premiums that would save your current needs. Meaning, while you live, you surely have some expenses that needs attention and life insurance may become a secondary priority. What needs to be done is to simply look for cheap insurance. Anyway, with various insurance companies out there, there must be one company that can provide you the life insurance that you need at the same time that would fit your current budget.

 

How To Get Cheap Insurance

 

The solution is simple – get as many life insurance quotes as possible so you can compare which among the providers offer the cheapest life insurance.  The popular advice among many independent insurance agents is to get at least five life insurance quotes for you to sufficiently find cheap insurance. Truly this will be enough because you can easily compare the prices with the five quotes. Most importantly, this will be made easy because there are many life insurance quotes provider in the Internet. You don’t have to request for individual life insurance quotes from different companies that come your way or one that you randomly see in yellow pages. With the Internet, you simply need a simple click in the mouse, fill up a little online form and you’ll get the prices for the life insurance.

 

Advantages of Life Insurance Quotes Online

 

By finding cheap insurance through online life insurance quotes, you’ll get the following advantages: 

 

 

Knowing these advantages will guide you to your quest for cheap insurance.

Best Insurance Quotes & Service LLC offers various services such as life insurance quotes for your cheap insurance quest. All you need to do is utilize the site and see how easy it is to choose the life insurance that you need.

Artistic Memories Through Canvas Prints

Mar 6th, 2010
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Life is filled with fun, joy and sorrows’ so trapping every moment in life is impossible. Life keeps on changing and before we think to preserve world changed. So the simple solution to keep memories refreshing and everlasting is by capturing those priced moments in photos and pictures. It should then be print to canvas so that it gives an artistic look to the pictures and more life.

The walls can be decorated in a very peculiar form which expresses the room’s beauty. Canvassing can be done to decorate in walls, fabric and many more logos and fluxes of big company. Canvas art is a method of giving artistic look to the pictures and makes it look so elegant which speaks for itself.

According to the history of paintings it was done on woods, ivory and other materials, but wall art became familiar when the people of Roman cities decorated their homes with paintings and extraordinary arts. Every house was colorful and the walls were painted with pictures that depict the history of Rome. The art has its own meaning and gives a look that makes the room fabulous. Wall art is the only thing that can make the room decoration complete. The walls can be given a new finishing by the canvas prints that adds more beauty to the walls. We can be hung with series of images in the painted wall and make the room look wonderful.

As we paint the walls we should also place the furniture at proper positions. The pictures should be hung at a proper distance from the sofa it should not appear as being detached from wall and the room. So proper balancing of the furniture should be done. We should place proper picture that suits the wall and room. If the picture is too small than the sofa or furniture it may seem odd so proper sized pictures should be placed.

If large picture is not available to fill up the space then we should group several small pictures framed with similar kind of materials and 3-4 inches apart. This makes the arrangement very neat and clear without dumping all the photos together. Placement of mirrors plays a very vital role in the decorations of the wall. When placed at proper place such that the lights are reflected on the walls can act as an additional window.

The colors used to paint the wall can also change a person’s mood. When a mild colorful picture is done by a canvas art it can lower a person’s stress. The picture tries to divert a person’s mood and makes them feel relaxed and calm. The canvas art gives a richer look and an impression of reality that refreshes everybody’s thought and also gives meaning to the wall and the photos. The canvas art can be applied in the wall art which increases the richness of the wall and it also lasts for a long period without causing any sort of damage.

Conrad McKee have very sound knowledge of Print to canvas and wall art he is legend in his field for more details you can visit canvas art .

Creating Wall Art Through Canvas Printing

Mar 6th, 2010
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Wall arts are being used today to decorate a blank wall space. Wall arts are a great alternative to ordinary wall papers since they add a certain feel and look to the room of your choice. Through canvas printing, a finely made wall art can be made as the centerpiece of any decoration and it can also be the topic of discussion – if not the star of your show.There are other substrates available when you print your materials and use it as wall art. However, there is one material that is very capable of bringing out the best out of your prints – canvas. Yes, canvas printing is predominantly used when you are printing art and not often used when you print materials. However, due to the fact that canvas is used mainly in paintings, it will make your prints look like authentic paintings rather than being dismissed as simple copies.Canvas printing also gives you a different feel to your walls whatever your tastes maybe. They are very versatile and you can mold them into any of your needs. They can be the stars of the show or they can be the used as complimentary materials to existing designs. Any other way, your canvas prints are perfect for any single purpose that you are thinking about. The themes that you can think about is endless and the subject matter for your canvas prints are varied. You can use different designs and design inspirations in your canvas prints and you will never go wrong with them.Some of the more popular designs that are macro designs (designs that are about things painted, sketched or photographed at very close range), flowers, animals and geometric figures. There is also a recent trend that is developing today known as giclee printing. This is the reproduction of fine art through canvas and digital ink jet printing.Going more into the reproduction of fine art in canvass, giclee printing presents itself as a very nice option for young artists when they want their prints reproduced. Giclee printing, with the help of digital inkjet printing, makes it affordable to reproduce copies of their original artworks. Many artists can now send samples to art museums or even sell copies of their work at a very low price.Not only that, giclee printing also helps museums in the storage and handling of fine art. Now copies can be reproduced for showcases or for marketing purposes. They can sell the copies in their souvenir shops and they can even use copies of the original as displays when they need to cure or treat the original. The use of copies will significantly make the original fine art prints last longer and the maintenance of these prints a lot easier.With all that said, even regular people who want to try out wall art can benefit from this service since you can use copies of original art pieces as your own personal wall paper. Not only will the surroundings of your house change, but the sophistication and taste levels of your aesthetics will definitely be on display.

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