The promise of a big payoff—along with bad television,apparently—compelled two cousins to stage an armed robbery duringwhich one shot the other with a gun.

While living in Baltimore, Md., Joseph Francis Brooks, 46,orchestrated the hold-up with his cousin Pierre Lamont Taylor sothat Taylor could file a false workers' compensation claim with histhen-employer.

On August 14, 2002, their elaborate plot was brought tofruition. Taylor was working for United Parcel Service (UPS) whenthe “assailant” approached him, firing a bullet into his right leg.Taylor reported the ordeal to UPS and filed a claim with LibertyMutual Insurance, UPS' workers' compensation insurer. In November2004, Liberty Mutual doled out a lump sum disability payment of$250,000 to Taylor, who shared the wealth with Brooks.

A former friend of Taylor's tipped off Liberty Mutual to thescam, and Taylor eventually confessed to Maryland State Police.During the confession, Taylor said that he and Brooks arrived atthe idea from “watching television.” Brooks pled guilty to onecount of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, for which the courtimposed a five-year suspended sentence and 18 months ofprobation.

When sentencing Brooks, Judge Michael J. Algeo, who has spentmost of his working life as an attorney, prosecutor, and a judge,said that “This ranks as one of the dumbest things,” he has seenanyone do. Judge John W. Debelius, III, of the Montgomery CountyCircuit Court, imposed a five-year suspended sentence, five yearsprobation, and a judgment against Taylor for $250,000.

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