No criminal masterminds here: the Coalition Against InsuranceFraud's annual Hall of Shame spotlights 2008's largest andsometimes dumbest insurance fraud schemes. What did they have incommon? They all got caught.

• Appellate Judge Michael Joyce from Erie, Pa., collected$440,000 in auto insurance after lying that a 5 mph bumper bendernearly crippled him. But although nearly “crippled,” Joyce flewairplanes, golfed, roller bladed and scuba dived in the Caribbean.Joyce will be sentenced in 2009.
• Samuel Aaron Brabson claimed a car crash left him nearlycrippled and confined to a wheelchair. The Richmond, Va. manreceived more than $1.2 million in disability claims. But Brabsoncompeted in triathlons and went mountain hiking. He received 1 yearin prison.
• Two dentists at a North Carolina clinic billed Medicaid formillions in root canals and pulled teeth–procedures the dentistsclaimed were done to children. At least two kids each had 16 rootcanals and steel crown procedures. Letitia Balance and MichaelDeRose paid $10 million to settle federal civil charges.
• Serving 11 years for health insurance fraud, Dr. Ira Kleinplotted to kill those whom he thought had sent him away. TheHouston physician tried to pay a hit man to have his wife shot, afederal prosecutor run over by a truck and to have acid thrown inan FBI agent's face. The plot was stopped in time. In a plea deal,Klein will serve an additional year.
• Michael Paul Schook told so many people he would burn down hisSuffield, Conn., home for insurance money that half the town knewabout his plot. At least three people turned him in after herepeatedly said how easy the scheme would be. Schook received 7years.
• Two elderly women befriended a pair of homeless men in LosAngeles, then took out $3 million in life policies, namingthemselves as the beneficiaries. Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidtthen had cars run down Paul Vados and Kenneth McDavid in darkalleys. Both women received life sentences.
• Three men sold fake workers' compensation policies to smallbusinesses, stealing at least $70 million in premiums. One injuredworker couldn't afford a prosthetic leg. Donald Touchet received 22years, Robert Standridge received 18 years and Robert Jenningsreceived 15 years.
• Michigan dermatologist Robert Stokes inflated claims whileexposing thousands of patients to disease by reusing sutures,scalpels and syringes. Stokes also removed minor lesions frompatients after lying to them that they had cancer. Stokes stole atleast $1 million in insurance money and received 10 years infederal prison.

Read more at the Hall of Shame at www.InsuranceFraud.org.