Attorney General Shapiro Announces Statewide Insurance Fraud Sweep Resulting in Charges against 42 Individuals

Attorney General Josh Shapiro: “We will aggressively prosecute anyone who breaks the law by providing false information to an insurance company.”

HARRISBURG —Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced criminal charges against 42 people in Pennsylvania following investigations by the Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud Section. In Eastern/Central/Western Pennsylvania, 21/5/16 individuals were charged.

The charges are part of a statewide sweep conducted by the Insurance Fraud Section during the month of March. Since Attorney General Shapiro took office in January 2017, the Office of Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud section has charged 244 persons with insurance fraud in unrelated cases.

“Insurance fraud is a serious crime that impacts consumers and policyholders across our Commonwealth,” Attorney General Shapiro said. “We will aggressively prosecute anyone who breaks the law by providing false information to an insurance company. When people commit insurance fraud, it causes premiums to rise for the folks who do follow the rules. It’s wrong, and we’re taking action to stop it.”

The charges announced today involve some of the most common types of insurance fraud. Below is a list of the defendants, the charges filed against them and a description of their alleged criminal acts. The cases are not related to one another and all cases are pending.

For a full list of all 42 individuals charged in this sweep, please visit the Office of Attorney General website at www.attorneygeneral.gov/taking-action/.

Eastern Region:

Emmanuel Carrera, 35, of the 100 block of Township Line Road, Jenkintown, Philadelphia County, is charged with theft by deception, insurance fraud, forgery and tampering with records. It’s alleged that Carrera filed an auto accident report with his auto insurer on August 22, 2017, after he purchased auto insurance online on August 14, 2017. An investigation revealed that the police report submitted in support of this insurance claim was actually a police report from another county manipulated to look like a Philadelphia Police report containing false information. Carrera was arrested on March 19, 2018.

Michael Washington, 36, of the 2000 North Fourth Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, is charged with theft by deception, insurance fraud, and unlawful use of a communication facility. It is alleged that Washington provided false information to his insurance company by purchasing an auto policy after being involved in an automobile accident. Washington provided false information regarding the time of the loss in order for his insurance company to pay for the cost of repairs. Washington was arrested on March 19, 2018.

Shannon Simcox, 40, of the 600 block of Chesterville Road, Lincoln University, Chester County, is charged with theft by deception, insurance fraud and criminal use of a communication facility. It is alleged that Simcox called her auto insurance company on April 3, 3017 to file a claim that a tree fell on her car. After Simcox’s insurance company informed her that her policy cancelled earlier that morning, Simcox hung up and called to add coverage then called again to falsely report that the incident occurred after she added the coverage. The defendant was arrested on March 27, 2018.

Natalie Barrish, 33, of the 1200 block of Valley Glen Road, Elkins Park, Montgomery County, is charged with theft by deception, insurance fraud and criminal use of a communication facility. It is alleged that Barrish filed a claim with her insurer for a vehicle accident, which occurred before she obtained her insurance policy, and then lied to her insurance company about when the accident occurred, in order to have the insurance company pay the benefits that they were not required to pay. Barrish was arrested on March 27, 2018.

Joseph Smith, 29, of the 4600 block of Flat Rock Road, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, is charged with criminal attempt-theft by deception, insurance fraud and criminal use of communication facility. It is alleged that Smith purchased auto insurance on April 13, 2016, then reported someone had hit his car on April 15, 2016. After an investigation, Smith admitted there was already damage to the vehicle before obtaining an insurance policy. Smith was arrested on March 29, 2018.

Renado McPherson, 29, of the 1500 block of Lindley Avenue, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, is charged criminal conspiracy, insurance fraud, forgery and other related offenses. It is alleged that McPherson submitted a claim to his insurance company alleging that his car had been stolen and that, in connection with that claim, he made numerous material misrepresentations about his purchase of the car, the condition of the car when he purchased it, the amount he purchased the car for and the circumstances of the supposed theft. McPherson also submitted fraudulent documentation to PennDOT when titling and registering his car. McPherson was arrested on March 25, 2018.

In another case involving Renado McPherson, he was charged with attempted theft by deception, insurance fraud, and criminal use of a communication facility. It is alleged that McPherson submitted a claim to his insurance company alleging that his motorcycle had been in an accident and then stolen.   In connection with that claim, he made numerous material misrepresentations about his purchase of the motorcycle, the condition of the motorcycle when he purchased it, and the amount he purchased the motorcycle for. McPherson was arrested in this case on March 25, 2018.

In a related case, Nelcita Palmer, 35, of the 8500 block of Temple Road, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, is charged with criminal conspiracy, attempted theft by deception, insurance fraud and criminal use of a communication facility. It is alleged that Palmer was defendant McPherson’s girlfriend and lied to corroborate McPherson’s story. Palmer was arrested on March 28, 2018.

Derek Wiley, 52, of the 200 block of Linton Street, Philadelphia, is charged with workers’ compensation fraud and theft by deception. It is alleged that Wiley claimed that he was injured at work on July 7, 2015, and started receiving total temporary disability effective August 20, 2015.   He then repeatedly made false statements to his insurance company denying that he was employed. An investigator found that another company gainfully employed Wiley while he was receiving his disability payments.

Roalb Krypa, 26, of the twentieth block of Woodstream Drive, Norristown, Montgomery County, is charged in two cases. In the first case, Krypa is charged with attempted theft by deception, insurance fraud and criminal use of a communication facility. It is alleged that Krypa allegedly committed insurance fraud in that he added comprehensive and collision coverage and lowered his deductible on his existing policy after he incurred a loss and then submitted a claim, falsely reporting that the loss occurred before added the coverages.

In the second case, Roalb Krypa is charged with attempted theft by deception, insurance fraud and criminal use of a communication facility. It is alleged that Krypa purchased an auto policy on July 14, 2017 then reported a vehicle collision in the days following. Allegedly, the photographs taken of the damage to Kypa’s vehicle at the scene of the accident revealed that they were taken on July 13, 2017. Kypa was arrested on both cases on   March 28, 2018.

Alvin Goodwyn, 24, of the 8300 block of Forrest Avenue, Philadelphia, Montgomery County is charged with theft by deception, insurance fraud and criminal use of communication facility. Goodwyn was involved in a traffic accident on September 4, 2016. Goodwyn called to reinstate his automobile policy that was cancelled before the accident for non-payment. Goodwyn then submitted a claim for damage to his vehicle from the accident. The defendant was arrested on March 29, 2018.

Terry Lanier, 31, of the 1900 block of Ringgold, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County and Candis Jones, 29, of the 2000 block of North Twentieth Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County are charged with   criminal attempt/theft by deception, insurance fraud and other related offenses. It is alleged that Lanier and Jones staged an auto accident using a truck then filed property damage claims and personal injury claims in an attempt to defraud the insurance companies and cover their loss and medical bills. Terry Lanier is a fugitive. Candis Jones was apprehended on April 16, 2018.

Erik Jacome, 28, of the 200 block of Ashmun Avenue, Lincoln University, Chester County, is charged with theft by deception, insurance fraud and criminal use of a communication facility. It is alleged that Jacome allegedly committed insurance fraud by providing false and misleading information to his insurance company in order to have the company pay for vehicle damage, for which they were not liable. Jacome was arrested on March 13, 2018.

Rishi Dubey, 24, of the 2000 block of Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County is charged with criminal attempt/theft by deception, insurance fraud and criminal use of communication facility. It is alleged that Dubey provided false and misleading information to his insurance company when he tried to have them pay for vehicle damage for which they were not liable. Dubey was arrested on March 19, 2018.

David Mihalic, 43, of the 10 block of Byron Place, Somerset, NJ, is charged with attempted theft by deception, insurance fraud and criminal use of a communication facility. It is alleged that Mihalic committed insurance fraud by obtaining an insurance policy after he was involved in an accident and then falsely reported that the accident occurred after he obtained the policy. Mihalic was arrested on March 26, 2018.

Carlos Velilla, 48, of the 3400 block of Albemarle Avenue, Drexel Hill, Philadelphia County, is charged with theft by deception, insurance fraud and other related offenses It is alleged that Velilla committed insurance fraud by falsely reporting several items as stolen following a two-vehicle accident. Velilla was arrested on March 5, 2018.

Leychawne Johns, 44, of the 2300 block of Providence Avenue, Chester and Soraya Gary, 40, of the 1800 block of South Yewdall Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, are charged with criminal attempt/theft by deception, insurance fraud and criminal use of communication facility and other related offenses. It is alleged that Johns duplicated an invoice for a light pole that was damaged during an accident Gary was involved in, on Johns Funeral home’s property. The duplicated invoice was from a prior accident. Johns and Gary were arrested on March 14, 2018.

Dake Hamilton, 34, of the 1200 block of North Myrtlewood Street, Philadelphia, is charged with attempted theft by deception, insurance fraud and criminal use of a communication facility. It is alleged that Hamilton made false statements to his insurance company in order for them to pay for the damage that he caused to another car during an accident that occurred before he purchased an insurance policy. Hamilton was arrested on March 29, 2018.

Ibrahim Rashid, 42, of the 6000 block of North Philip Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, is charged with attempted theft by deception, insurance fraud and criminal use of a communication facility. It is alleged that Rashid made misrepresentations when he attempted to renew his cancelled insurance policy and then opened a new insurance policy with the same insurance company following an auto accident. Rashid was arrested on March 16, 2018.

Dawn Canterbury, 37, of the 2600 block of South Jessup Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County is charged with theft by deception, insurance fraud and other related offenses. It is alleged that Canterbury filed a damage/loss claim for her property that was damaged due to water leaking from a burst pipe in her rented apartment, resulting in $110,000 in claimed damages. An investigation revealed there was no significant water damage in the apartment and the receipts submitted in support of this claim were fraudulent.

Central Region:

Zachery Helm, 24, of the 100 block of South Fourth Street, Columbia, Lancaster County and Ivan Fontanez of the 600 block of East Marion Street, Lancaster, Lancaster County, are each charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. On September 15, 2015 Helm purchased insurance for his 2007 Ford Explorer. On March 3, 2016 Fontanez, who had a suspended driver’s license, was involved in an accident driving the truck Helm insured in 2015. During an investigation, Helm confirmed that he did not tell the truth when he insured the truck as to who would be driving and owning it. The two defendants were arrested on March 28, 2018.

Breanne Rudolph, 28, whose last known address was in the 500 block of Walnut Street, Columbia, Lancaster County, is charged with theft by deception and insurance fraud. It is alleged that Rudolph misrepresented information that she provided to her insurer in support of a claim for damage to her vehicle. Rudolph allegedly did so in an attempt to secure monetary proceeds from the insurer, knowing that her vehicle policy was not in force at the time of the loss. Rudolph voluntarily turned herself in on April 11, 2018.

Beverly Muldrow, 51, of the 2000 block of North Fifth Street, Dauphin County, is charged with theft by deception and insurance fraud. It is alleged that Muldrow misrepresented information in support of an accident damage claim in an attempt to secure monetary compensation from an insurance company for damage that would not been covered because the policy was not in force at the time of the loss. Muldrow was arrested on March 2, 2018.

Evelyn Diaz, 40, of the 1500 block of Rosemary Hills Drive, Silver Spring, MD, is charged with insurance fraud. It is alleged that Diaz was operating a friend’s car when she was in an accident. Diaz originally reported that she was driving her car to have the damages covered by her insurance instead of her friend’s insurance. Diaz was arrested on March 14, 2018.

Western Region:

Akkeimaj Webb, 26, of the 100 block of Kleber Road, Glenshaw, Allegheny County, is charged with insurance fraud and criminal attempt/theft by deception. According to investigators, Webb filed an auto claim that on June 27, 2017 her car had damages from an accident that had occurred while her car was parked out front of her house, while she was away on a weeklong vacation. It is alleged that investigators found a claim involving the same damage when she was covered by a different insurance company on May 27, 2017. Webb was arrested on March 19, 2018.

Gail Vagni, 53, of the 1000 block of Harding Street, Bridgeville, Fayette County, and her son, Albert Stefanik, 29, of the 4000 block of National Pike Road, Markleysburg, Fayette County, are each charged with theft by deception and insurance fraud. Stefanik had been operating his mother, Vagni’s, car with a suspended driver’s license when he rear-ended a truck. It is alleged that Vagni provided the insurance company with fraudulent information that she was driving the car at the time of the accident. Both defendants were arrested on March 21, 2018.

Heather Stockton, 33, of the Tenth block of Hicks Street, Fairchance, Fayette County, is charged with theft by deception and insurance fraud. Stockton added comprehensive and collision coverage to her car on October 4, 2017. It is alleged that Stockton reported damages from an automobile accident on October 11, 2017 that were allegedly damages from a DUI accident that she was involved in on September 29, 2017. Stockton was arrested on March 13, 2018.

Jacqueline Sumey, 51, of the 3000 block of Third Street, Grindstone, Fayette County, and Mark Mitchell, 56, of the 500 block of Heistersburg Road, East Millsboro, Fayette County, are each charged with criminal attempt/theft by deception and insurance fraud. It is alleged that both defendants reported damages to Sumey’s auto insurance company after they were involved in a three car collision that resulted in damages to the bumper and grill of Sumey’s vehicle. Investigators discovered there were only two cars involved in the accident and that Sumey’s car was not involved. No monies were paid to the defendants and they were arrested on March 13, 2018.

Beth Ross, 51, and Kylie Smail, 21, of the 100 block of Boone Hedges Road, Wheeling, Washington County, are each charged with theft by deception, insurance fraud and unlawful use of a computer. Ross’s daughter, Kylie Smail, was driving her car when she was involved in an automobile accident on July 19, 2017. A few minutes after Smail informed Ross of the accident; Ross obtained a new auto insurance policy online and emailed a copy to Smail to provide it to the Police officer as he arrived on the scene of the accident. It is alleged that Ross stated that after the accident, she went online and filed a claim to get the damages to her daughter’s vehicle paid for. Smail and Ross were arrested on March 19, 2018.

Olivia Stohon, 36, of the 100 block of A Street, Clarksville, Greene County, is charged with insurance fraud. It is alleged that Stohon failed to list her fiancé, a DUI suspended driver, as a resident of her household and operator of her vehicle on an auto insurance application that she signed on March 6, 2017. The misrepresentation was discovered during an auto accident claim that was submitted to the insurance company on April 4, 2017 by the claimant driver. Stohon was arrested on March 5, 2018.

Jeffery Kwiatkowski, 34, of the 1000 block of Cedar Street, Greenburg, Westmoreland County, is charged with insurance fraud and theft by deception. An investigation revealed that on November 15, 2017, Kwiatkowski purchased a liability only automobile policy on his truck from an insurance company. On November 20, 2017, Kwiatkowshi contacted the insurance company to add additional coverage of collision and comprehensive with a $250 deductible which went into effect on November 25, 2017. It is alleged that Kwiatkowski reported the November 15 accident on December 15, 2017 stating his truck was struck by a deer. Kwiatkowski was arrested on March 14, 2018.

Ashley Runser, 29, of the 200 block of Extension Road, Garland, Warren County, is charged with insurance fraud and theft by deception. On Septmeber 1, 2017, Runser added a 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee to her automotive insurance policy via internet. Runser changed her deductible several times before filing a complaint that a deer hit her car on November 14, 2017, a day after the changes went into effect that lowered her deductible. It is alleged that the accident occurred on November 9, 2017. Runser was arrested on March 26, 2018.

Sharon Gore, 34, of the 300 block of Albert Street, Turtle Creek, Allegheny County, is charged with insurance fraud and theft by deception. Gore incepted a new auto policy on August 2, 2017 then reported an accident/injury claim on August 3, 2017, stating that is occurred on August 2, 2017, after she obtained the insurance coverage. An investigation revealed that the accident actually occurred on August 1, 2017. It is alleged that Gore incepted the policy at that time so that the policy would cover the injuries sustained in the accident. Gore was arrested on March 12, 2018.

Samantha Beere, 20, of the 300 block of Gawain Circle, Belle Vernon, Westmoreland County, is charged with theft by deception and insurance fraud. Beere reinstated her insurance policy on November 18, 2107. Beere filed an accident claim on November 20, 2017, stating that her vehicle had been involved in an accident on the same day. It is alleged that the accident actually occurred on November 18, 2107 prior to her policy being reinstated. Beere was arrested on March 16, 2018.

Barry Waldron, 53, and Nicole Stewart, 33, of the 200 block of Old Brick Road, Hilliards, Butler County, are each charged with theft by deception and insurance fraud. An investigation revealed Waldron and Stewart previously had an insurance policy that was cancelled on August 24, 2017 for non-payment. On November 3, 2017, the defendants purchased a new policy and paid the outstanding balance on the previous policy. Stewart contacted the insurance company on November 3, 2017 saying that they struck a deer that same day, although there were several photos from the incident taken on November 1 and November 3, 2017, prior to the inception of the insurance policy. Waldron and Stewart were arrested on March 15, 2018.

Tyler Hensal, 31, of the 100 block of Hillside Road, Philipsburg, Centre County, is charged with theft by deception, insurance fraud and tampering with records or identification. On November 8, 2017 Hensal purchased a vehicle insurance policy for his truck. Hensel then filed a claim stating that an accident occurred after he obtained his policy on November 8, 2017. The police, as well as the other driver, confirmed that the accident occurred prior to Hensal obtaining the insurance policy. Hensal was arrested on March 15, 2018.

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