Fraud of the Week

March 20, 2017

False Claim Fraud—North Dakota

Amount: $5,000

 

Although the cost of this fraud is seemingly small, the fraudulent act was particularly egregious, making it the most interesting fraud this week. In Sawyer, North Dakota, the state has filed an insurance fraud charge against a man who was charged and convicted in 2016 for beating his friend over the head with a PVC pipe in 2014. He faces a Class C felony charge, which could result in up to 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. His charges stem from the incident where he beat up his friend with the PVC pipe, specifically when he told his friend-victim to tell his insurance company that he was injured when he fell off a horse at the defendant's ranch. As a result of the defendants prompting, the friend-victim filed a claim for $5,000 for personal injury with the North Star Mutual Insurance Company, without mentioning the true cause of his injuries, and received reimbursement for his injuries.