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Police officers, firefighters indicted for disability insurance fraud

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Thirteen New York police officers and firefighters have been charged with insurance fraud after they allegedly filed false disability insurance claims, reaping more than half a million dollars.

The defendants allegedly forged a physician’s or their supervisors’ signatures to file the false insurance claims against Columbus, Georgia-based insurer American Family Life Assurance Co., according a joint statement Monday from the offices of New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, New York Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark G. Peters and New York State Department of Financial Services Superintendent Maria T. Vullo.

Details on the alleged injuries in the claims and whether the accused individuals attempted to file for workers compensation benefits are not available, a spokesman for the state attorney general’s office said. 

Each defendant is accused of one count of grand larceny and one count of insurance fraud for thefts that ranged from over $3,000 to over $100,000 per defendant, according to the statement.

The investigation is ongoing and more arrests are likely to follow, said Mr. Peters in the statement.

“Today’s arrests result from a lengthy (Department of Insurance) investigation into dozens of City workers, including fire and police department employees,” Mr. Peters said in the statement. “We depend on honesty and integrity from all our public servants, and these workers failed us. Our independent investigation will continue to root out this corrupt behavior.” 

The accused workers face between seven and 15 years in prison, according to the statement.

 

 

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