N.Y. Cops Charged In $1.5M Auto Fraud Ring

By Daniel Hays

NU Online News Service, Oct. 23, 2:38 p.m. EST?Authorities in New York City said yesterday they had broken a $1.5 million auto fraud ring involving three veteran police officers and 27 civilians.

The arrests were announced by Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes in Brooklyn, and marked the second time in two years that law enforcement officials said they uncovered a fraud ring involving city police.

In the latest scheme, cops were said to have been paid off with cash, pills, and in one case fancy auto parts.

Mr. Hynes' office said the latest scheme cost insurers more than $1.5 million in billings and claims.

The arrests, it was announced, were the result of a two-year investigation conducted by the District Attorney's Office, the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

The investigation was initiated, Mr. Hynes' office said, after the NYPD received information that several people in the South Brooklyn area were involved in an auto insurance fraud scheme. The operation was said to have faked 24 fictitious accidents, with more than 50 additional accidents involving the same ring currently under investigation.

None of the scams would have been possible, prosecutors said, without the help of the three police officers who were charged in the case.

The trio all worked out of Brooklyn's 61st Precinct in the borough's Sheepshead Bay section, where all the phony accidents were said to have taken place. Police Officers Jeanine O'Malley, Susan F. Lavin, and Robert L. Herold allegedly generated the accident reports required to file the insurance claims. Ms. O'Malley has 11 years on the force, Ms. Lavin has 15 years, and Mr. Herold has 16 years.

Prosecutors said the officers allegedly obtained the phony accident information from members of the ring, who served as "runners." The group was said to have conspired at the precinct or at nearby locations.

At these meetings, the officers would allegedly receive a slip of paper containing the names and vehicle descriptions to be put on an accident report. The officers would allegedly file the information with the police department as an official accident report. The runners would either pick up the report at the precinct or the officers would deliver it to them.

The "runners" would solicit individuals called "jump-ins" to provide personal information, which would be included on the phony accident reports. Bogus injuries would also be claimed and jump-ins would be sent for treatment at certain medical offices, prosecutors said.

Runners would also refer the jump-ins to attorneys who would file insurance claims under no-fault provisions, according to the D.A.'s office.

The claims, it was explained, would cover the cost of medical expenses, transportation to and from the medical facilities, medical supplies, MRI exams, and psychiatric treatments for stress that resulted from the alleged accidents.

Another tactic used by the ring, prosecutors said, involved soliciting jump-ins to allow their vehicles to be used in a fictitious accident. In this scenario, the vehicles--which were often already damaged--would be brought to an auto body repair shop. On many occasions, these vehicles would be further damaged to make the alleged accident more convincing.

The insurance companies would then be notified of the alleged accident, and their adjusters would inspect the vehicles, the prosecutors said.

According to officials, the jump-ins were promised several hundred dollars for their participation in the scheme, which typically settled their insurance claims for payments ranging from $1,500 to more than $15,000. Those jump-ins who allowed their cars to be used in the scheme were paid from $500 to $1,500. If their car had damage to it, the car would be repaired at the expense of the insurance company, it was alleged.

"These kinds of insurance fraud schemes result in millions of dollars in higher rates passed on to honest car owners," Mr. Hynes said. "It is especially distressing to learn that police officers in whom we put our trust were involved in this particular racket. I know they are not representative of the finest police force in the country and I congratulate the team of NYPD, insurance industry investigators and my office for their work on this case."

According to the D.A.'s announcement, officers were paid between $20 to $100 for each accident report they prepared. Sometimes, the payment was said to have taken the form of auto repairs for the officers' personal vehicles. In one case, it is charged, Officer Lavin had new stylish wheels put on her personal car as payment for preparing the reports.

Payments were also said to have been made by providing the officers with the prescription painkiller, "Vicodin," which was delivered at the precinct or while police officers were sitting in their patrol cars.

The police officers face charges of conspiracy, official misconduct, insurance fraud and grand larceny. The runners and jump-ins face charges of insurance fraud, grand larceny, and falsifying business records. All face up to two-and-a-third-to-seven years in prison if convicted, the D.A.'s office said.

Last year, when charges were brought against a 67-member auto fraud ring in the city, two police officers were charged.

An attorney for Officer Lavin was quoted by The New York Times as saying she denied guilt and anything she did was at the direction of her supervisor, Officer Herold.

Special Reports /

N.Y. Cops Charged In $1.5M Auto Fraud Ring

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