Former N.J. Insurance Employee to Do Prison Time

New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey announced that a Camden County woman was sentenced to seven years in state prison for stealing more than $600,000 from Allstate Insurance Company’s Burlington County Office while employed as a Claims Process Specialist.

According to Vaughn McKoy, Director, Division of Criminal Justice and Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden-Brown, Linda Clements-Wright, 46, of Sicklerville, Camden County, was sentenced by Burlington County Superior Court Judge John Almeida to seven years in state prison and was ordered to pay $74,999 in restitution and $40,000 in fines.

Gooden-Brown noted that Clements-Wright was convicted on Dec. 16, 2004, by a Burlington County jury on charges of conspiracy, theft by unlawful taking and money laundering. The conviction resulted from a May 22, 2003 indictment filed by the Division of Criminal Justice – Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.

The Burlington County jury reportedly found that between April, 1995 and September, 1998, Clements-Wright, while employed as a claims processing specialist at Allstate Insurance Company’s Burlington County office, fraudulently issued more than 150 insurance claim checks totaling $614,344. The fraudulent checks were issued to at least 11 friends and relatives who were not entitled to the monies.

During the three-week trial, the Division of Criminal Justice – Office of Insurance Fraud presented evidence that Clements-Wright devised several schemes whereby unauthorized persons would receive and cash Allstate claim checks and then split the monies.

One scheme reportedly involved cashing claim checks payable to individuals purporting to be elderly Allstate claimants living in senior care facilities but who were unable to directly receive the funds. It was charged that Clements-Wright paid a 10 percent commission to these persons who cashed the claim checks; Clements-Wright would keep the balance of the monies. In another instance, Clements-Wright issued unauthorized insurance claim checks to purported claimants for unreported property damage claims.

According to Gooden-Brown, six co-conspirators who reportedly cashed insurance claim checks for Clements-Wright previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and have been sentenced by Burlington County Superior Court Judge Marvin Schlosser. The co-conspirators are identified as:

• Neville L. Holder, 62, Cherry Hill, Camden County;
• Neville Louis Holder, 34, Bowie, Maryland (Holder’s son);
• Lisa Givens, 38, Chesilhurst, Camden County;
• George Givens, 37, Chesilhurst, Camden County (Lisa Givens husband);
• Bruce Alston, 49, Moorestown, Burlington County;
• Michael McCormick, 42, Sickerville, Camden County.