Mere moments away from unsealing the highly anticipated list of2013 inductees to the “Insurance Fraud Hall of Shame,” JamesQuiggle, director of communications at the Coalition AgainstInsurance Fraud (known as The Coalition), is divulging some of theyear's highlights, or low lights (as it were) in aPropertyCasualty360 exclusive.

The forthcoming list represents just one of many initiativesspearheaded by the Coalition to enhance public awareness andeducate the industry about the heinous crime (and many variations)of insurance fraud, which siphoned an estimated $64 billion fromU.S. p&c insurers last year. That number is expectedto swell to $80 billion by 2015, according to Aite Group.

As insurance carriers, law enforcement and other entities wagewar on fraud, the Coalition continues to serve as a resource andunfortunate holding cell for the latest breaking news aboutarrests, pervasive schemes and individual cons preying on bothl&h and p&c insurers and their customers. The Coalition'sannual list effectively puts a face on fraud while challenging usto reassess its impact and make—and adhere to—resolutions in thenew year.

Each of the felons featured here has been formally chargedand/or involved in legal resolution for fraud during the currentcalendar year. As you'll read, many of their victims paid dearly,some with their lives. This was unfortunately the case for twochildren who became casualties of the first inductee's web of lies.Click on “Next” at the bottom right to learn theirstories.

ArsonInductee: ArminWand

What's a life worth? If one were to ask Armin Wand, the answerwould likely be “not much.” The resident of Darlington, Wisconsinnot only burned down his home, killing his sons, but also tried tomurder his pregnant wife and their 2-year-old daughter—all for aninsurance payout. His wife, Sharon, would later miscarry, while theensuing trial would bring about more sordid revelations.

Wand desired a fresh start, one without his family. But thatwould require money. So he devised a plan: set fire to their rentedhouse, killing all inside, and then use the insurance policyproceeds to begin anew. To everyone's horror, Wand was partiallysuccessful. The blaze killed his three sons: Allen Wand, 7; JefferyWand, 5; and Joseph Wand, 3; and left his 27-year-old wife incritical condition for months.

The couple's 2-year-old daughter, Jessica, was the only siblingto survive but barely, and not without resistance. Incredibly, whenSharon carried the child outside, Armin tried to pull her back inthe fire.

Sharon has since endured five surgeries, multiple skin grafts,and 46 sedations for therapy. With more than 86 percent of her bodyburned, Sharon will never regain the full use of her limbs. Herlungs are so damaged from the fire that she will always need oxygensupport. Convicted for murder, Wand is now serving threeconsecutive life sentences with no possibility for parole.Meanwhile, bizarre details continue to emerge. Stay tuned to learnabout an explosive turn involving Wand's younger brother andallegations of identity theft.

Dishonorable Mention: Gerald EugeneSinger

One 74-year-old Muskegon, Michigan man convicted earlier thisyear must pay $653,140 in restitution to his victims in addition topotentially spending the rest of his adult life behind bar or, morespecifically, as many as 55 years in prison.

A jury convicted Gerald Eugene Singer in March 2013 on twocounts of arson, three counts of using fire to commit mail fraud,and five counts of tax fraud. Several properties were destroyed inthe process.

Ever the overachiever, Singer also racked up one count of mailfraud for blazes at six additional properties and two attemptedfires at other properties in Muskegon Heights.

Auto Fraud

Inductee: SolNaimark

Living the dream in New York, Sol Naimark was a high-rankingleader in a massive no-fault auto crash ring that tried to stealmore than $400 million in fake injury claims. That's the “largestattempted looting of no-fault insurance money in history,”prosecutors say. An underground sting ultimately led to the demiseof the Russian-led criminal enterprise, including Naimark and agrowing parade of convicted conspirators.

In March, Naiman, officially copped to his role in two separateconspiracies to defraud insurers, including one charge related tothe largest single no-fault auto insurance fraud scheme in New Yorkhistory.

As a high-ranking operative and licensed attorney, Naiman'sprimary duty had been to sue, or rather threaten to sue, autoinsurers over false injury claims from real, albeit contrived, carwrecks. This made him a valued asset for the cartel and earned him$273,000 in fees.

Overall, the ring recruited thousands of people, includingchiropractors, to churn out bills ranging from $2,000 to $3,000 perpatient. Authorities identified 100 phony medical clinics staffedby corrupt doctors and other medical practitioners who illegally“rented out” their licenses.

Ten other defendants have pleaded guilty since Naimark'sadmission in court. Read the Coalition's expanded story to learnmore about the expansive organized ring's intricate web of lies andthe crimes it committed.

Inductee: Ana Ovando

Quiggle calls this a moral tale about the impact of fraud on afamily, especially innocent children caught in the crossfire. Or,put crudely, an awful mother. Forty-two-year-old Ana Ovandobelonged to a staged-crash gang, where her role was to glide avehicle into low-impact collisions to propagate fake whiplashinjuries.

According to reports, the south Floridian mother of five stuffedher kids, who range in age from 3 to 16 years old, into the carsfor three setup wrecks. As children, they were vulnerable to injuryor death, had the crashes not happened according to plan. Furtherdemonstrating that the children's welfare was a low priority,Ovando subjected them to worthless chiropractic treatments, therebyexposing them to yet more potential harm.

Ovando then instructed her children to lie in court, even afterher dangerous game was exposed. At one point during Ovando's trial,her seven-year-old daughter wandered onto the witness stand. Thejudge softly asked if she “loved her mommy,” to which she replied“yes” in between sobs. It was a sad scene for all, includingprosecutors, who hadn't planned for the tiny witness to speak.

The eldest Ovando child told the courtshe wants a better lifeand to attend college. Circumstances have temporarily halted thosedreams. Having dropped out of high school to care for her siblings,the teen now works at a fast-food restaurant. Ovando now faces 61/2 years in federal lockup and deportation to her native DominicanRepublic.

Workers' Comp & Disability

Inductee: Wanda Podgurski

Convicted thief Wanda Lee Podgurski of San Diego, Californiataunted law enforcement with cheeky Twitter feeds. “Catch me if youcan,” she tweeted after fleeing from her disability-fraud trial.The former Amtrak clerk had received 20 years in absentia forstealing more than $660,000.

Podgurski had fibbed one too many times, claiming to be disabledafter slipping and falling down the stairs at her home. Because herback, hip, and leg were supposedly badly injured, Podgurskirequested in-home care. The first step in securing those serviceswas to apparently deceive insurers. The next step was to convinceseveral doctors to sign letters confirming that she was, in fact,disabled.

The ever-enterprising Podgurski also collected another $261,000for a fake insurance claim for jewelry she said had been stolen.Podgurski never showed up to court to answer allegations. Angeredby her cavalier attitude, the court handed down the 20-year prisonsentence, in absentia. It also ordered Podgurski to pay $1 millionin fines and repay insurers.

All of this precipitated a manhunt and some snide emails sent byPodgurski challenging the district attorney to “find [her].” Didthat day ever come? Moreover, are penalties imposed on cons whododge the cops?

Inductee: Dr. Peter Ajemian

This New Yorker was a 'man of the people,' well in a sleazy way.Dr. Ajemian enabled hundreds of Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)employees to fabricate serious injuries so they could retirecomfortably by means of disability insurance payouts and“ill-gotten pensions.”

Ajemian's co-conspirators, err, hundreds of then-employees ofthe second-largest commuter railroad in the U.S., dictated theterms of their retirement—namely, when it would begin. A popularstart date was some point in their 50s. An efficient worker himselfapparently, Ajemian falsely diagnosed more than 700 LIRR workerswith crippling injuries so they could retire as “occupationallydisabled.” Employees paid Ajemian between $800 and $1,200 for anice little package, which including a proverbial rubber stamp onfake disabilities and forged medical records. The workers then liedto LIRR that they could not stand, sit, walk, or climb steps.

To round out his days and repertoire of illegal services,Ajemian also falsely billed insurers for millions of dollars ofworthless tests and services, from X-rays, and physical therapyappointments to hospital visits and other claims involvingoutwardly healthy LIRR patients. He amassed $2.5 million in bribesand insurance money during a fraud spree spanning nearly a decade.The LIRR employees involved made out well, too, receivingdisability pensions at a rate of 12 times more than any othercommuter railroad.

Over the years, Ajemian and his cohorts concocted some elaboratestories involving supposedly debilitating incidents that willlikely amuse and enrage you. The court sentenced Ajemian to hardprison time and $233 million in restitution. Did the early retireesreceive their just rewards?

Insider Fraud

Inductee: Rick Renzi

This fable involves corruption by a former Republican member ofthe U.S. House of Representatives. The Sonoita, Arizona man had aninsurance agency and a political career, which was humming rightalong. That is, until his schemes and reputation all turned todust. Perhaps you have been following the legal proceedings againsthim in national news headlines?

The politician-turned-insurance scammer was found guilty ofswindling clients out of $400,000 in premium dollars to illegallyfinance his 2002 congressional campaign. In late October, hereceived a three-year prison sentence. His name is Rick Renzi, andhe likely does not approve this message.

Renzi operated a small agency ironically named the PatriotInsurance Agency, which was steered by his wife. She ran the familyowned firm from their Arizona home. Non-profit organizations,including right-to-life groups and pregnancy crisis centers, werePatriot's main clients.

To make a long story short, instead of using premium dollars forwhat his clients originally intended—to obtain coverage for theirbusinesses—the congressman laundered the loot to pay for all sortsof things, including personal expenses, such as a rather large taxbill, as well as airline tickets for family members. Meanwhile, theagency's clients went unprotected against catastrophes. A shoddycoverup would follow, along with apologies of “clerical errors,”and criminal charges. So what tipped off authorities? What is Renzisaying now? Find the answers and other developments in theCoalition's final list of 2013 inductees, which is arriving in yourinbox soon.

A Fate Worse Than Death?

For a former Wall Streetmillionaire-turned-arsonist, a lengthy prison sentence was truly afate 'worse than death.' A convoluted home arson case dating backto 2009 ended in tragedy, when Michael Marin chose to end his liferather than face social ostracism and between 7 and 21 years inprison.

Upon hearing a guilty verdict, the 53-year-old father of fourswallowed a pill and started convulsing on the courtroom floorshortly thereafter. Although officials rushed to his aid andattempted to resuscitate him, Marin was dead within minutes.

On Top of the World

Marin's fall from grace was dramatic. Years ago while working asa Wall Street trader, he owned original Picassos and a10,000-square-foot mansion in a posh enclave of Phoenix, Ariz.Marin spoke of his charmed life on Facebook, where he posted thathe had scaled six of the world's seven tallest mountains.

But the millionaire attorney became a desperate man when, likemany Americans crippled by recession, he fell behind on mortgagepayments and depleted savings. At the time of the suspicious blazefor which Marin was prosecuted, he had $50 in his bank account,which was down from $900,000 a year prior.

Despite an apparent lack of cash flow, Marin contended withmassive financial obligations, including a monthly mortgage paymentof over $17,000, along with a $2,500 monthly payment on anotherhome and a $34,000 tax bill. Additionally, a balloon payment of$2.3 million on his mortgage was due.

When Marin emerged from his burning palatial estate in scubagear on July 5, 2009, investigators were more than a little leery.Marin claimed to have escaped the unexpected blaze using a ropeladder and wearing scuba equipment to avoid smoke inhalation.

Fire investigators later determined that the fire wasdeliberately ignited. Armed with this information and clues as to apossible motive, authorities arrested Marin, whom a jury foundguilty of one felony count of “arson of an occupied structure” onJune 28, 2012.

By many accounts, Marin's prison sentence (7 to 21 years) seemedharsh, given the fact that no one else was present at the time ofthe fire (and thus not endangered). Of course, Marin may havenegotiated a shorter sentence, had an earlier plea deal beencarried to fruition.

His Swan Song

After much speculation, an autopsy and subsequent testingconfirmed the poison Marin ingested was indeed cyanide. Eerily, aYouTube video shows the courtroom ordeal and the dying man's lastbreath.