Zalma's Insurance Fraud Letter - April 1, 2022

ZIFL Volume 26 Number 7

Zalma's April 1, 2022, with no April Fools Jokes, provides information needed by every insurance claims and insurance fraud professional, all available FREE on line where you can Read last two issues of ZIFL here.

As a tease for the articles at the April 1, 2022 issue of ZIFL the following are indicators of the full articles in the current issue that is available at ZIFL-04-01-2022.:

Russian Immigrant Who was Convicted of Fraud Must Leave the U.S.

Alexie Legassov, a convicted insurance fraud perpetrator, petitioned the USCA for review of a final order of removal and the denial of a motion to remand. In Alexei Legassov v. Attorney General United States of America, No. 21-2586, United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit (February 24, 2022) the USCA decided it was time he returned to mother Russia.

Pandemic Resulted in Less Workers’ Compensation Fraud Claims

New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang on released the 2021 Workers Compensation Fraud Annual Report, publishing results on workers’ compensation claims and fraud investigation results last year.

With New Yorkers beginning to come back to work, new workers’ compensation claims rose slightly in 2021 but continued to be reported at more than 18% lower than pre-pandemic levels, according to the report.

Additionally, while courts across New York State reopened in 2021, a significant backlog caused by closures during the pandemic resulted in the limitation or delay of criminal proceedings and the presentation of new cases to grand juries by district attorneys throughout the state, according to the IG.

Insurance Fraud – Volume I & Volume II  Second Edition” Now Available

Volume I Available as a Kindle book; Available as a Hardcover;  Available as a Paperback

Volume II Available Available as a Kindle book;  Available as a Hardcover;  Available as a Paperback

Prisoner States Frivolous Cause of Action for Fraud

Insurance fraud is both civil and criminal. One who is a victim of insurance fraud can assert a claim against the fraudster if there is a preponderance of the evidence available. When a plaintiff files suit acting in pro se – as his own lawyer – the courts will bend over backwards to find a way for the plaintiff to state a cause of action. The court will not, however, allow a frivolous action to proceed.

Health Insurance Fraud Convictions

Fake Signatures, Drug Addicts, Homeless Used to Defraud Results in 130 Months in Prison

Keowsha Golden, a South Carolina woman was sentenced to more than a decade behind bars after pleading guilty for her part in a drug conspiracy. The scam that sent to federal prison involved prescription pads, faked signatures, and taking advantage of drug addicts and the homeless, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

Man Bites Dog Story: GEICO Sues Fraud Perpetrators

In Government Employees Insurance Company, Geico Indemnity Company, Geico General Insurance Company & Geico Casualty Company v. Elmwood Park Medical Group, P.C., Molnar Medical Services, P.C. & Kristappa Sangavaram, No. 1:21-cv-00617-FB-RER, United States District Court, E.D. New York (March 14, 2022) Magistrate Judge Ramon E. Reyes, Jr. issued a Report and Recommendation (“R&R”) recommending that default judgment against Defendants Elmwood Park Medical Group P.C., Molnar Medical Services P.C., and Kristappa Sangavaram (“Defendants”) be granted in part. Plaintiffs alleged that Defendants engaged in a complex insurance fraud scheme in violation of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”).

Settlement of Fraud Suit Does Not Allow Doc to Sue Insurers

SLAPP Motion Appropriate When Fraud Perpetrators Sue Insurers and Their Lawyers

Similar to the GEICO case above, nine insurers sued Ajay Mohabeer for fraudulently billing them for medical treatment never provided nor provided in the amounts charged.

Other Insurance Fraud Convictions

Murder for Hire Life Insurance Fraud

Maria Moore, 53, and Marvel Salvant, 49, killed Dominic Sarkar, 56, in the Oct. 8, 2018 shooting at Sarkar’s Fremont home. Moore was listed as Sarkar’s domestic partner and acquired two life insurance policies, for $500,000 and $300,000, with plans to pocket the money after his death, prosecutors argued at trial.

Zalma on Insurance Blog Posting

True Crime Stories of Insurance Fraud

There are now available at https://rumble.com/zalma more than 46 Video True Crime Stories of insurance fraud. The latest is called “How Insurance Fraud Destroyed a Family

Become a Practioner of Excellence in Claims Handling

Insurance Law and Insurance Fraud Training at ZalmaonInsurance.locals.com/subscribe

Barry Zalma has created a special locals.com community called https://zalmaoninsurance.local.com/subscribe.  For only $5.00 a month you can view insurance law materials and webinars on insurance claims handling sufficient to train your claims personnel as perpetrators of excellence in claims handling.

(c) 2022 Barry Zalma & ClaimSchool, Inc.

Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE, now limits his practice to service as an insurance consultant specializing in insurance coverage, insurance claims handling, insurance bad faith and insurance fraud almost equally for insurers and policyholders. He practiced law in California for more than 44 years as an insurance coverage and claims handling lawyer and more than 54 years in the insurance business. He is available at http://www.zalma.com and zalma@zalma.com.

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Write to Mr. Zalma at zalma@zalma.com; http://www.zalma.com; http://zalma.com/blog; daily articles are published at https://zalma.substack.com. Go to the podcast Zalma On Insurance at https://anchor.fm/barry-zalma; Follow Mr. Zalma on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bzalma; Go to Barry Zalma videos at Rumble.com at https://rumble.com/c/c-262921; Go to Barry Zalma on YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCysiZklEtxZsSF9DfC0Expg; Go to the Insurance Claims Library – https://zalma.com/blog/insurance-claims-library/