Calif. Insurance Fraud Fighters Receive Awards

California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, Deputy Commissioner Rick Plein, Bureau Chief John Standish and Capt. David Goldberg each received a fraud fighting award from the Employers’ Fraud Task Force, a California-based organization comprised of insurance industry experts and law enforcement officials committed to combating workers’ compensation fraud and abuse.

Plein is the deputy commissioner of the California Department of Insurance (CDI) Enforcement Branch. Standish is CDI’s Fraud Division bureau chief and Goldberg is captain of the Inland Empire Regional Office. Along with Commissioner Poizner, they each received a framed certificate at the Task Force’s annual conference and awards ceremony held at the Disneyland Hotel.

“We really appreciated the outreach shown (by the Department),” said Laura Clifford, the executive director of the Employers’ Fraud Task Force. “Sharing information, that communication, really makes a difference and a significant impact. But we can’t do it without their powerful leadership.”

The Employers’ Fraud Task Force was founded in 1998 and identified the many faces of workers compensation fraud and delivered an anti-fraud tool set to the industry. The Task Force also serves as a general resource and communication forum for the industry and facilitates communication between employers, legislators, insurers and consumer groups.

Commissioner Poizner oversees 16 CDI Enforcement Branch regional offices throughout the state. Approximately 2,000 insurance fraud-related arrests have been made by the Department of Insurance’s enforcement division since Commissioner Poizner took office in 2007.

Source: CDI