Each year, the Texas Department of Insurance's fraud investigators examine fraud alleged to have been committed by persons engaged in the insurance business as well as claim fraud committed by policyholders, service providers, and others.

In 2005 and the first part of 2006, TDI's Fraud Unit successfully prosecuted 114 cases of people who got busted trying to make money through insurance fraud. Last week e-News featured five of the cases. Here, in no particular order, are the remaining five on the TDI's list of the top 10 insurance fraud offenders:

6. Dirk Rose continued working for almost three years while receiving Long Term Disability benefits and Workers' Compensation benefits. Insurers paid $103,004.60 to Rose and medical providers during the course of his scheme. Rose received 120 months probation for insurance fraud, was fined $2,500 and was ordered to pay $81,000 in restitution.

7. Rodney Bigler, a passenger in a vehicle involved in an accident, submitted a fraudulent statement to the at-fault driver's insurance company for $40,000 in lost wages attributable to the accident. Bigler pled guilty to the offense of Insurance Fraud and was sentenced to two years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

8. Katie James filed a claim on a credit disability policy using fraudulent medical records to support her claim. She received $8,275 in payments before her scheme was detected. James was sentenced to 30 days confinement for Insurance Fraud, was ordered to serve five years probation, was fined $500 and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $8,284.

9. Jose Vega, a former Texas Peace Officer, filed a claim with his insurer for $7,790.50 in items stolen during a burglary of his residence. The burglary never happened and the items were not stolen. Vega received five years deferred adjudication, was ordered to complete 260 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay $7,790.50 in restitution. In addition Vega was ordered to surrender his peace officer license to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education.

10. Donald "Tony" Brelsford, a former agent, received insurance premiums from two business clients, and instead of forwarding the premiums to the insurance company, used the money for his own benefit. Brelsford received 10 years deferred adjudication and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $74,021.

Special Reports /

Fraud of the Week: Top 10 Perps Named in Texas

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