Monday, September 17, 2007
Insurance Agent Guilty of Fraud
Paul Wentzlaff, 46, of Sioux Falls faces up to 20 years in prison for embezzlement and insurance fraud.
Title Company Owners Charged With Embezzlement
The charges against John T. Wehlau and Cheryl T. Wehlau, owners and operators of Gulf Coast Title Closings & Escrow Services in New Port Richey, are the result of an investigation by the Department of Financial Services' Division of Insurance Fraud, a statewide law enforcement agency that investigates insurance fraud. The primary victim, Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Co., covered hundreds of home buyers' missing funds.
The Wehlaus are charged with 21 counts of theft of escrow funds, three counts of money laundering and one count of grand theft. If convicted on all of the charges, they could face a sentence of up to 30 years in prison on each count.
Woman Charged in Insurance Fraud
Sally Ann Hodge, 49, was supposed to be providing health exams for people applying for life insurance, and submitting her bills to a Colorado company, her indictment says. In return, Hodge received between $30 and $100.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Excellus, IBM Work Together to Fight Fraud
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and IBM Corp. are working together to fight health care insurance fraud.
IBM’s Risk Identification Analysis Service will be used by Excellus to review pharmacy-related claims to uncover complex schemes, the companies said. Such schemes include collusion, inappropriate billing practices, prescription forging, prescription pad theft and members who engage in “doctor shopping.”
“Someone who knowingly commits insurance fraud is no different than any other person who steals,” said Flora Allen, corporate director of Excellus’ special investigations unit. “Fraud affects everyone’s bottom line, so we aggressively and proactively pursue recoveries and convictions because we are protecting our members’ premiums.”
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Construction Worker Charged with Insurance Fraud
Archie Smiley, 43, was working for a Philadelphia, Miss.-based construction company in June 2006 when he “injured his back while carrying a grinder up a flight of stairs,” according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s report.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Fraudbuster Helps Keep Insurance Costs Low
“It’s very worthwhile to everybody,” Gajda said. “It helps everybody. It saves money.”
She admitted that devoting her life to investigating insurance scams can make her cynical, especially when fraud is so prevalent. Insurance industry studies indicate that at least 10 percent of claims are fraudulent, she said.