N.J. Authorities Get ‘Jump’ on Pa. Fraud Suspect

Vaughn McKoy, director, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, announced that a Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to a year in the Monmouth County jail for his role in arranging a fake “jump in” motor vehicle accident in order to fraudulently obtain insurance settlement monies.

According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden-Brown, David Scott, 26, formerly of Michener Avenue, Philadelphia, and currently residing in Jamison, Pa., was sentenced by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Ira Kreizman to 364 days in the Monmouth County Jail. Scott was also ordered to serve three years probation. Scott was sentenced pursuant to his guilty plea to second degree charges of conspiracy and Health Care Claims Fraud.

Gooden-Brown said that Scott, along with co-defendants Nicole Barker, 20, of Irvington, Essex County and Charles Gladney, 40, of Philadelphia, were charged via a State Grand Jury indictment returned on March 2, 2004. Barker and Gladney were charged with second degree conspiracy to commit Health Care Claims fraud. The cases against Barker and Gladney are pending in Monmouth County Superior Court.

Barker pled guilty to third degree conspiracy on Sept. 27 before Judge Kreizman and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17. In pleading guilty, Scott, identified as Barker’s ex-boyfriend, reportedly admitted that he conspired with Barker and Gladney to make it appear to the police and the insurance company that he (Scott) was a passenger in Barker’s car after it had been involved in a motor vehicle accident in Phila. on March 17, 2002.

In fact, Scott was not a passenger in the vehicle and only arrived at the accident after reportedly being contacted by Barker. Gladney, a Philadelphia tow truck driver, responded to the accident.

The investigation reportedly determined that Gladney agreed to support Scott’s claim that he was a passenger in the vehicle in exchange for receiving a 20 percent “fee” on the total cost of repairs to the vehicle.

In furtherance of the conspiracy, Scott obtained nearly $7,000 in medical care, including more than 20 chiropractic treatments. The PIP and related medical bills were submitted to the Prudential Insurance Company for payment. Suspecting a potential fraud, Prudential forwarded the case to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor for investigation.

“This is a classic ‘jump in’ insurance fraud case where two persons claimed to be injured in a car accident when at least one was not even a passenger in the vehicle,” Gooden-Brown said.