Fraud News: Lapsed Policy Scam, Faked Attack for Workers’ Comp, Arson
Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has announced an Ada County man was sentenced Friday, February 16, for one count of Insurance Fraud.
Fourth District Judge Peter Barton sentenced 33-year-old Edward J. Castagno, of Boise, after he pleaded guilty in December.
Judge Barton imposed a four-year prison sentence. He then suspended the sentence and placed Castagno on four years probation. Judge Barton also sentenced Castagno to a jail term of 180 days to run concurrently with his current prison term in an unrelated matter, and gave Castagno credit for 128 days served. The judge also ordered 60 days of discretionary jail time to be administered by a probation officer.
Investigators determined that Castagno’s vehicle was involved in an accident in Boise on February 3, 2015. At the time of the crash, Castagno’s coverage through GEICO had lapsed. A short time later, he called GEICO to reinstate the policy. Later that same day, Castagno filed a claim with the company and falsely said the wreck had occurred after the policy was reinstated.
The case was investigated by the Idaho Department of Insurance and prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Nicole Schafer in the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Unit.
Authorities say a Massachusetts trolley driver paid a man $2,000 to attack him while wearing a Halloween mask so the driver could fraudulently collect workers’ compensation and disability insurance.
A Suffolk County grand jury on Wednesday indicted Thomas Lucey on charges of insurance fraud, workers’ compensation fraud, misleading a police investigation and perjury.
Prosecutors say the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority driver reported the man pulled him out of a trolley shortly after midnight on Oct. 30, 2016, and punched him repeatedly. The attacker wore a mask and carried a plastic pumpkin.
Authorities say they lifted fingerprints from the pumpkin left behind at the scene to find the man and that he said Lucey paid him for the phony attack.
An attorney for Lucey couldn’t immediately be reached Thursday.
A Baton Rouge, La., man is accused of torching his new restaurant in a blaze that injured a firefighter and damaged nearby businesses.
The Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office said 36-year-old Jonathan Paul Marino was arrested Wednesday after a months-long investigation.
Authorities say Marino purposely set fire to his new restaurant, The Cast Iron Kitchen, in March and then fraudulently collected insurance money on the destroyed building.
State Fire Marshal Chief Deputy Brant Thompson said Marino had been dealing with financial problems, and that authorities believe that motivated him to set the fire.
East Baton Rouge Parish Jail records do not list an attorney who could be reached for comment. The jail records list Marino’s first name as Johnathan.