Officer Aisha McCrary Charged with Insurance Fraud

A D.C. police officer is facing insurance fraud and attempted theft charges related to alleged damage to police equipment.

Aisha McCrary has been indicted in Prince George's County, the office of State's Attorney Angela Alsobrooks announced Monday.

According to Alsobrooks' office, McCrary is accused of filing an insurance claim that her work radio, a personal laptop and other items were damaged from a water leak in her home in July 2013.

McCrary sent a letter to the Metropolitan Police Department from a tech supervisor who an insurance adjustor later determined does not exist. She provided the same letter a second time and then tried to withdraw her claim.

An investigation found that McCrary's radio was not damaged and she had not reported any damage to the equipment.

An arraignment is scheduled for March 21.

Officer Robert Quintana Arrested for Mail Fraud

U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Robert Quintana, 50, of Buffalo, New York, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with mail fraud and health care fraud. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Rogowski, who is handling the case, stated that on March 16, 2005, the defendant, a Buffalo police officer, was placed on injured on duty (IOD) status by the city of Buffalo. According to the complaint, Quintana was placed on IOD status for alleged injuries to his lower back and buttocks after he slipped and fell on icy steps while responding to a 911-call.

The complaint further states that on numerous occasions while allegedly out of work due to this injury, the defendant was observed working at a local restaurant. The observed work included the lifting of supplies, cleaning tables, stocking, kneeling and bending, and chipping ice. Nevertheless, during the course of an independent medical exam requested by the city of Buffalo in January 2012, Quintana told doctors he was unable to perform any work. The defendant remains on IOD status to this date (seven years after his initial injury) and has resisted efforts to have him return to work.

“It is the duty of all sworn police officers to uphold the law and the vast majority of officers do just that each and every day,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “All should also recognize that police work can be hazardous, and for that reason, communities frequently pay for officers injured in the line of duty until such time as they can return to their posts.”

Hochul further stated that “by falsely claiming to be too injured to return to work, an officer not just breaks the law, she or he hurts the credibility of those legitimately injured in the line of duty. This type of lie also leaves one less officer to patrol the streets of the city, requires working officers to perform overtime duty and thereby increase their own risk of injury, and drives up the cost of health care in these times of difficult economic circumstances. This office can and will act when presented with evidence of this type of fraud.”

“We, as members of law enforcement, are keenly aware of how dangerous it is to be a law enforcement officer,” said Steven L. Lanser, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge. “Every day we see how the good, hardworking men and women in the Buffalo Police Department out their lives and safety on the line. The injured on duty program is in place to ensure members of the police department are secure in knowing this benefit is available should they sustain a serious injury while discharging their duties. Abuse of the IOD system is an affront to the taxpayers of the city of Buffalo.”

The criminal complaint is the culmination of an investigation by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota, and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Three Connecticut Officers Arrested

Three police officers in three Connecticut towns were arrested Wednesday and Thursday.

Police said officers from Naugatuck, Middletown and Hartford were all arrested and were not connected.

Hartford police Officer Rhashim Campbell was arrested on Thursday after an internal investigation into an assault in the city lockup.

Police said Campbell was arrested on Thursday.

Campbell was charged with assault and fabricating physical evidence.

Police said Campbell was released on a promise to appear.

In addition to the criminal charges, Campbell also faces administrative charges, according to police.

Campbell is suspended without pay from the Hartford Police Department.

Hartford Police Chief Daryl K. Roberts said, "We take the care of persons in our custody very seriously. The inappropriate acts of these officers are not representative of the dedicated and professional officers of the Hartford Police Department. The Hartford Police Department will continue to serve our community with the highest professional standards, always focusing on service, relationships and safety."

A New York man who said Hartford police assaulted him while he was in the city lockup stood before a judge on Thursday.

Michael Stewart appeared in court on his breach of peace arrest that occurred the morning after Halloween.

Peter Oldum, Stewart's attorney did all the talking.

The Long Island man was charged in connection with an arrest in the early morning the day after Halloween. Hartford police reports said Stewart had to be pepper sprayed twice.

It's what happened after Stewart's arrest, in the city lockup, that has generated the most attention.

Officers Kent Lee and Rhashim Campbell were suspended with pay after a confrontation between them and Stewart was caught on the city lockup's surveillance cameras.

In court on Thursday, Oldum asked the judge to make sure that the recording is preserved.

Judge Glen Woods granted the request.

Lee has since retired since the incident took place.

In Middletown, police Officer Angelo Passanisi surrendered to Capt. William McKenna at the Middletown Police Department.

Police said Passanisi was charged with insurance fraud, fabricating evidence and falsely reporting an incident.

Officials said the arrest followed a lengthy investigation conducted by McKenna.

In September, Passanisi filed a police report with the Middletown Police Department in which he reported that his parked car had been struck by another vehicle that then fled the scene.

In October, after receiving information that Passanisi crashed the vehicle himself and staged an accident scene to make it appear that the accident was a hit-and-run, he was placed on administrative leave.

After his arrest, Passanisi was processed and released on a $2,500 non-surety bond and was scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 23.

In Naugatuck, Officer David Reilly was arrested by Wallingford police and is facing felony charges involving larceny and computer crimes.

Police said they received a complaint from a resident in April.

Police would not elaborate on the actual crime but Wallingford police said Reilly was charged with larceny, computer crimes and coercion.

Officer William Robert Queen Resigns After Arrest for Arson

The Bullhead City police officer who was arrested in July by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police has turned in his resignation, officials confirmed.

William Robert Queen, 36, turned in his resignation to Police Chief Rodney Head on Aug. 4.

Queen was placed on administrative leave by Head on July 20, prior to his arrest by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said Bullhead City Police Department spokeswoman Emily Montague.

Queen was arrested July 21 by Las Vegas Metropolitan police on suspicion of arson for insurance fraud, said spokeswoman Barbara Morgan.

“On July 17, firefighters responded to a vehicle fire in a vacant lot in the 13000 block of South Western,” Morgan said.

Crews responded to a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe on fire. Morgan said there was nothing missing on the vehicle.

“The auto theft unit conducted an investigation and determined the vehicle fire was for the purposes of insurance fraud,” Morgan said. Police allege Queen hired 26-year-old Gary Miller to burn the vehicle. Miller was arrested Aug. 10 on suspicion of arson for insurance fraud, Morgan said.

The case has been turned over to the state attorney general's office, she said.

Queen joined the Bullhead City Police Department on Jan. 10, 2000.

Officer Hikeen Crampton Charged with Insurance Fraud

A Baltimore police officer who overcame the odds growing up in West Baltimore to patrol his old neighborhood, was indicted Friday on charges of insurance fraud and attempted felony theft, the state attorney general said.

Hikeen D. Crampton Sr., 30, of Rosedale, is accused of fraudulently claiming in late 2008 that his Cadillac Escalade had been stolen when he had traded it in for another vehicle. The indictment follows an investigation by the Regional Auto Theft Task Force, the insurance fraud division of the Maryland Insurance Administration and the attorney general's office.

The charges were filed in Frederick County, where the claim was filed, said Shanetta J. Paskel, an official with the attorney general's office.

Crampton was profiled in a front-page article in The Baltimore Sun in 2001 after he graduated from the Baltimore Police Academy and requested a patrol assignment in his old neighborhood, a notorious drug zone. The youngest of 10 children, he graduated from Douglass High School and managed a McDonald's before joining the police academy.

"Some people ask me, 'Why do you want to come back?' " Crampton said at the time. "I want to help my community."

He received an award from Baltimore County last year after he observed the robbery of an armored car while off duty and caught the suspect, holding him until county officers arrived. In 2005, while working plainclothes in the Western District, he also arrested one of the stars of the infamous "Stop Snitching" video.

Anthony Guglielmi, a city police spokesman, said the Police Department learned of the allegations in June, when Crampton was suspended with pay.

"The allegations are concerning, but we have an obligation to see the system through and we're going to reserve comment until this is over," Guglielmi said.

Attempts to reach Crampton for comment were unsuccessful.

An arraignment has been scheduled for Sept. 25.

Reserve Deputy Ronnie Araiza Arrested for Arson

A Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office investigation has led to an arson charge against a man authorities believe destroyed a vehicle that he used as a Bexar County reserve deputy constable with the goal of committing insurance fraud, an arrest affidavit states.

Ronnie Lucero Araiza, 30, was arrested and released on bond over the weekend on a charge of arson of a motor vehicle, according to the affidavit.

The arrest stems from a nearly two-year-old incident in which Araiza's Chevy Blazer was spotted on fire at and Potranco Road. In the affidavit, authorities claim Araiza worked with another man on Aug. 25, 2007, to set his Blazer on fire after Araiza purchased a new vehicle.

At the time of the fire, Araiza was working as a reserve deputy constable for Precinct 2 and told officials he was near Loop 1604 and Potranco Road when the fire occurred. Using cell phone records to show calls made between Araiza and another man around the time of the fire, investigators found a call was made to Araiza from a phone that was within a half-mile of the fire scene about three minutes before the fire was reported to 911, the affidavit said.

Cell phone records showed Araiza was around Loop 1604 and Potranco Road and also Loop 1604 and U.S. 281 around the time of the fire.

Records were not available to show if the man who made the call to Araiza has been arrested.

Calls to the Precinct 2 Constable's office on Sunday were not answered and it was not clear in the affidavit if Araiza was still working as a reserve deputy at the time of his arrest Friday.

UPDATE: Officer Anthony Razo Arrested for Torching his BMW then Filing Insurance Claim

A Los Angeles police officer who said he was shot in an off-duty incident early this year lied to investigators about the attack and, weeks earlier, intentionally set fire to his own luxury sports car in a scheme to collect an insurance payment, according to charges filed by prosecutors late Wednesday.

Anthony Razo, who served 14 years with the Los Angeles Police Department before abruptly resigning Friday, was charged with five felony counts of insurance fraud and arson for allegedly torching his own BMW 745 on Jan. 4 and then filing an insurance claim.

He also faces a misdemeanor charge of filing a false police report concerning a gunshot wound he said he suffered outside his City Terrace home Jan. 31. Razo said that two Latinos with shaved heads, whom he did not know, attacked him as he was leaving for an early morning golf game. During a struggle, Razo said, one of the men grabbed his department-issued handgun and shot him once in the shoulder.

Prosecutors and sheriff's officials declined to comment on the details of their investigation, leaving open the possibility that Razo shot himself or that he knows who shot him.

Razo, 49, refused to answer questions when he was reached at his home late last week by The Times. His attorney, Glen Jonas, refused to discuss details of the case, but acknowledged missteps by Razo.

"Mr. Razo is addressing personal problems while cooperating with the investigators to minimize any additional impact recent events will have on the department and the community," Jonas said. "While we understand some in the community may define him by recent events, we hope the numerous citizens, crime victims and fellow officers he helped . . . will remember him differently."

Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators had already begun to suspect that Razo had burned his own car before the shooting occurred, law enforcement officials with knowledge of the investigation said. Those suspicions led homicide investigators to doubt Razo's version of the attack, the sources said.

In the hours immediately after the shooting, however, the Sheriff's Department nonetheless launched a massive manhunt for the alleged attackers. Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton and Sheriff Lee Baca rallied before a phalanx of TV cameras, vowing that the assailants would be captured. Within days, officers at the Hollenbeck Division station, where Razo was assigned, had raised more than $6,000 to help the wounded officer. Specialized LAPD officers guarded Razo's home around the clock.

Despite an intense investigation, sheriff's investigators found no leads supporting Razo's claims, drawing further suspicion on the officer, who had fallen deeply into debt before the car-burning incident, officials said.

In comments made shortly before the charges were filed, Sheriff's Lt. Duane Harris, who is leading the investigation, indicated that Razo had not confessed, saying he "has not told us anything that contradicts that initial report."

After weeks of rumors and hushed conversations about Razo in police stations, news of the charges brought expressions of anger and disappointment.

Paul M. Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents the department's rank-and-file officers, said the union was "deeply disturbed."

"We are naturally saddened and find it unsettling to learn that the incident . . . may not be the tragedy it was initially portrayed to be," Weber said.

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UPDATED Information: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Chief-Former-Officer-Accused-of-Faking-Shooting-is-Disgrace.html
Other Information: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12050507

Officer Jimmie AkinsCharged with Attempted Extortion

A Chicago Police scandal widened today with the unsealing of federal charges against an officer for allegedly taking bribes from tow-truck operators — at least the fourth cop ensnared in the corruption probe.

Officer Jimmie Akins is charged with attempted extortion for allegedly taking bribes in 2006 and 2007.

Akins accepted bribes to let tow-truck operators remove vehicles from accident scenes the officer was responsible for in the Near North District, according to an affidavit by FBI Agent Craig Henderson. Akins would use his cell phone to alert the tow truck operators about accidents, Henderson said.

Under police rules, cops are prohibited from advising tow operators that their services might be needed — and from recommending services to car accident victims.

An informant who owns a towing company told the feds he met Akins at a nightclub in 2004 and they began a crooked business relationship, according to the affidavit.

The informant allegedly started paying Akins $100 per towed car and told the FBI he towed about 20 cars from accident scenes in downtown Chicago. The informant also said he paid Akins $500 to pay off the officer’s cell phone bill.

In 2006, Akins was secretly recorded by the FBI demanding $2,300 from the informant for vehicles the informant had towed in 2005, according to the FBI.

“We did one hundred a car — I got you 38 cars,” Akins allegedly told the informant. “So from the 38 cars, out of those you gave me $1,500. So the change is $2,300.”

On April 21, 2006, they met at a McDonald’s and the informant paid Akins $1,000. The meeting was secretly recorded, according to the FBI. The informant paid Akins the remaining $500 about a week later, the FBI says.

Meanwhile, another tow-truck operator said Akins was angry at him for not paying for tows from accident scenes. In April 2006, Akins allegedly tried to get the tow-truck operator to leave an accident scene.

Akins wound up hitting the tow-truck operator, handcuffing him to a steering wheel and arresting him on charges of theft, illegally using a cell phone in a vehicle and resisting a peace officer, records show. Those charges were later thrown out.

In 2007, they apparently had repaired their relationship and the tow-truck operator paid Akins at least $1,800 in exchange for towing jobs, the FBI said.

Even after the Chicago Police Department stripped Akins of his police powers because of the FBI investigation, he continued to call the tow-truck driver and inquire about accident scenes, the FBI said. Akins was still interested in getting paid for towing jobs, according to the FBI.

In one secretly recorded meeting with the second tow-truck operator, Akins told him that he expected an additional $2,000 for billings on repairs to vehicles towed from accident scenes, the FBI said.

Three other cops have been charged in the corruption investigation, which involves at least five Chicago Police districts and began in 2003.

In April 2008, federal prosecutors charged Chicago Police Officer Scott Campbell with setting up a scheme to make it look as if someone had stolen his 1996 green Volkswagen Passat.

Federal prosecutors said Campbell arranged to have the car taken and sold in pieces. State Farm Insurance paid Campbell about $4,000 for what they believed was a stolen vehicle. Joseph DeMichael of Chicago was charged with scheming with Campbell by taking the car home, dismantling it and selling the parts.

In March 2008, Chicago Police Officer Michael J. Ciancio, who also served as an assistant athletic director at a west suburban high school, was accused of extorting up to $800 a week from a tow truck company. He pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this month and is awaiting sentencing May 13.

Chicago Police Officer Joseph Grillo and Collision Towing owner Jim “Meatball” Athans were previously charged in the investigation.

Grillo and Athans were charged with helping Campbell carry out the insurance scam. Grillo, who pleaded not guilty, is scheduled to change his plea on Feb. 17, records show.

http://www.suntimes.com

Officer Ben Jones III Facing Fraud Charges

A Tutwiler police officer is facing felony false pretense and fraud charges in Quitman County on an insurance claim for a fire investigators say never occurred at a residence where they say he never resided.

Ben Jones III, 39, of Marks was arraigned Thursday morning before Judge Charles Webster on the two-count indictment, according to a news release from the attorney general’s office.

According to the indictment, Jones reported to Allstate Insurance Co. he had suffered a loss of personal property following an April 30 fire at a residence he rented in Marks.

"An investigation by our Insurance Integrity Enforcement Bureau determined that a fire did occur at that residence on April 23, 2008, but that Jones did not rent or otherwise reside or keep personal belongings at that address," said Attorney General Jim Hood said in the news release.

Jones is free on a $5,000 written bond. If convicted of felony false pretense, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. If convicted of insurance fraud, he faces up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of $5,000 or double the value of the fraud, whichever is greater.

Officer Ken Derrick Accused in Insurance Scam

BARTOW, FL

The ex-husband of a former State Attorney's Office employee who was charged earlier this year with insurance fraud now faces the same charge himself.

The charges against Ken Derrick, 37, are the fallout of his call to the Winter Haven Police Department about a fully clothed officer he found in the home he and his ex-wife shared.

Derrick, a former Lake Alfred police officer, was arrested Monday. He is accused of using health insurance in the name of his ex-wife, Kristie, to pay his medical bills.

Derrick was released from the Polk County Jail on Monday, after posting $1,000 bail.

Kristie Derrick, 34, was arrested in May on the same charge.

LISTED AS 'SPOUSE'

Kristie Derrick was fired from her job as a clerk in the State Attorney's Office last year after being accused of falsifying insurance records by telling her insurer that she was still married.

The couple had divorced in 2001. Kristie Derrick was hired by the State Attorney's Office in July 2006.

Kristie Derrick's insurance provider, United Healthcare, does not cover former spouses.

According to an arrest affidavit filed by the State Attorney's Office, Ken Derrick had last gone to Winter Haven Hospital complaining of chest pain on June 21, 2007.

His hospital admissions paperwork listed the United Healthcare insurance policy of Kristie Derrick and his relationship to her as "spouse."

Kristie Derrick is also listed as his spouse and emergency contact on multiple forms.

As a result of the hospital visit, United Healthcare paid $6,935 for his treatment, the affidavit stated.

COMMON LAW CLAIM

On July 24, 2007, State Attorney Executive Director Sam Cardinale questioned Kristie Derrick, asking whether she was married, the affidavit stated.

Initially, she said she was, and then immediately said she was divorced. She said that the listing Ken Derrick as her husband on her personnel records and employee health insurance was an oversight because they had lived together as husband and wife for several years, the affidavit said.

The day after her conversation with Cardinale, Derrick was fired.

In an Aug. 7, 2007, letter, Derrick protested her firing, and inquired about appeal rights.

In the letter, she said the office's requirement that she cooperate with a law enforcement agency's investigation invaded her privacy, and "invaded her common law marriage."

Eligibility for health care coverage includes the employee, spouse and children. Florida doesn't recognize common law marriages.

Investigation into allegations of insurance fraud began after Ken Derrick filed a complaint with Winter Haven police that he went to the home he still shared with Kristie Derrick and found police Sgt. David Keigan standing fully clothed and standing in the shower.

Keigan eventually was demoted to officer for ignoring his duties by leaving the city on June 6, 2007.

Police officials said he left his police vehicle in a parking lot at a branch courthouse where Kristie Derrick worked. They drove to her Auburndale home in her car.

This sparked an internal affairs investigation at the Police Department and at the State Attorney's Office.

According to arrest affidavits, the Derricks still share the same home in Auburndale.

If both Derricks are convicted, the State Attorney's Office will seek restitution on behalf of United Healthcare, said Chip Thullbery, administrative state attorney.

Officer Charged in Insurance Scheme

A Chicago police officer, Joseph Grillo, is linked to a scheme that allegedly defrauded a car insurance company.

Grillo and an accomplice allegedly submitted false claims for stolen vehicles.
The Chicago Police Department's Internal Affairs Division worked with the FBI on the investigation of Grillo.

James Athans runs a tow company on the city's Northwest Side. His nickname is "Meatball." And he's accused of helping at least two Chicago police officers commit insurance fraud. He's charged with coordinating a chop shop operation at the behest of Grillo.

Here's how the feds say it worked: Officer Grillo allegedly helped another unnamed 25th District officer get rid of his car so he could claim insurance money.

The car in question is a 1996 Volkswagen Passat. FBI wiretaps reveal conversations between Grillo and co-defendant Athans in which they plotted for the Passat to appear to have been stolen from a parking area near the back of the police station.

Grillo is allegedly heard on recorded phone conversations telling the tow truck man that his fellow officer would "park some place and you'll just take it."

Athans responded: "Yeah, I'm thinking about just taking it by, ah, and put it behind my lot and just burn it behind my lot."

"Yeah, alright." Grillo answered.

"He's got a 13-year outstanding record of service. He's unblemished and he's an outstanding law and abiding citizen and individual," said Barry Sheppard, Grillo's attorney.

Grillo was in court Wednesday and the orange jump suit of a federal inmate.
"It's emotional, it's stressful but he'll be fine," said Sheppard.

A police spokesperson is hinting more officers may be caught up in this car insurance scam.

In a statement, police say, "The joint investigation was launched in 2006 and remains on going with additional charged expected to be filed."