Latest news with #insurancefraud
BBC News
7 days ago
- BBC News
Former Truro surgeon accused of fraud over his leg amputations
A former surgeon is due to appear in court in Bodmin on Wednesday after he was charged with offences relating to the amputation of his and Cornwall Police said Neil Hopper, 49, from Truro, had been charged with two counts of insurance fraud after he allegedly told insurers the injuries to his legs were due to sepsis and were not said Mr Hopper had also been charged with encouraging or assisting the commission of grievous bodily Hopper had been employed by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust from 2013 until he was arrested in March 2023, police added. Mr Hopper is charged that between 3 and 26 June 2019 he committed fraud by making a false representation to insurers, namely that the injuries to his legs were the result of sepsis and were not also faces a charge that between 21 August 2018 and 4 December 2020 he bought videos from a website called The Eunuch Maker which showed the removal of limbs and that he encouraged Marius Gustavson to remove the body parts of third parties.A spokesperson for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHT Trust said: "The charges do not relate to Mr Hopper's professional conduct and there has been no evidence to suggest any risk to patients."Former patients with any questions or concerns about their treatment can contact the Royal Cornwall Hospitals' Patient Experience team," they added.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Yahoo
He said he was ‘doing a favour' for a friend, it landed him in court
A man said he was 'doing a favour' for a friend after he was caught driving with false registration plates. Frank Crompton, 32, was pulled over by police in Oldham after concerns over his manner of driving. Checks revealed his car registration plates were associated with a completely different car. He later claimed to a probation officer that he was 'doing a favour for a friend'. READ MORE: 'Bubbly' boy who died in M60 tragedy named as tributes paid READ MORE: Bus that crashed into bridge was not on 'usual route', Transport for Greater Manchester confirms Crompton, of Oldham, pleaded guilty to forging a registration mark and using a motor vehicle with no insurance, and was handed a hefty fine. Sign up to the MEN Court newsletter here Prosecuting, Sam Eskdale said that at around 11.30am on March 8 last year officers were on patrol in Oldham when they spotted a silver Vauxhall Meriva being driven in such a way that officers felt they had to turn their emergency lights on. As the car pulled to a stop on Equitable Street, two of the passengers fled, as driver Frank Crompton walked in the opposite direction. 'A PNC (police national computer) check revealed the registration plates were recorded as a red Ford Fiesta - essentially the defendant was driving on false plates,' said Mr Eskdale. 'Officers also found an axe in the vehicle. He was arrested for forging the registration mark and for driving with no insurance.' Minshull Street Crown Court heard that Crompton had 11 previous convictions for 18 offences including for driving matters. Milena Bennett, defending, said: 'He told the probation officer he was doing a favour for a friend. At the time he did not consider the consequences of his actions. 'He is extremely sorry and he accepts his actions were stupid.' She added that he has since 'distanced himself from associates'. Fining him a total of £425, Recorder Carwyn Cox said: 'On March 8 last year, officers were on duty in Oldham when a car was pursued due to the manner of its driving. Join our Court and Crime WhatsApp group HERE 'The passengers left the scene and you walked in the opposite direction. Checks were made and it was clear the registered car was a red Ford Fiesta. It became clear these were forged registration plates.' Crompton, of Henshaw Street, Oldham, was ordered to pay off the fine at a rate of £40 per month. He was also handed eight points on his driving licence.
CBS News
15-07-2025
- CBS News
Los Angeles police recover more than 140 vehicles allegedly stolen by "bandit tow" companies
Authorities on Tuesday warned drivers to be on the lookout for "bandit tow" companies, as they detailed an elaborate scheme they uncovered in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. During a news conference at the Van Nuys Community Police Station, the L.A. Police Department and the California Highway Patrol revealed that about 145 illegally impounded vehicles had been recovered by law enforcement during the execution of a search warrant last week. Authorities said a company operating as "Legends Auto" or "Legends Enterprises" in Van Nuys was the subject of numerous criminal complaints. Citizens claimed that, after they were involved in minor traffic collisions, they were approached by a "witness" who offered to provide video of the incident to their insurance provider in exchange for their phone number. They'd then receive a text message claiming to be from their insurance provider, stating that a tow company is going to take their car to Legends. Believing the tow was set up by their insurance company, citizens would sign documentation and later receive an inflated invoice, charging them several thousands of dollars for service, said LAPD Lieutenant Laurel Friedlander. Legends allegedly would then hold vehicles "for ransom," refusing to return them to their owners until paid in full. Friedlander detailed one case in which a woman refused tow and service from Legends following a minor traffic collision. She said the woman's vehicle was then towed from her house overnight, and Legends refused to return it until their invoice was paid. That case could be charged as grand theft auto, Friedlander said. LAPD Detective Guy Pereira said no arrests have been made yet, but they will likely come shortly. Some victims' vehicles have been returned since the execution of a search warrant, while others will be returned shortly. The CHP offered advice to those who are in a fender bender. "The golden rule is if you did not call the tow truck to tow your car, you are, in high likelihood, going to be a victim of a bandit tow operation," said Lt. Joe Dominguez
Daily Mail
11-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Ex-cop sued after allegedly faking disability while claiming $600K
A California ex-cop who allegedly partied and took Disney trips while collecting hefty disability checks is being sued for the $600,000 she ripped off from the city. Nicole Brown, 39, was charged with 15 felonies in May after authorities found she was faking a disability for an extensive leave from the Westminster Police Department , according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. On top of the charges, Westminster officials announced they are fighting back against Brown on Wednesday. In March 2022, Brown hurt her forehead while handcuffing a suspect. She called off sick for days and claimed she was diagnosed with severe concussion syndrome from the incident. Her diagnosis meant she was suffering from headaches, dizziness, light and noise sensitivity, and cognitive issues. But prosecutors allegedly found the only injury she sustained was a cut - and the emergency room cleared her to return to work the same day. They said that with the help of her step-father Peter Gregory Schuman, a workers' compensation attorney, she fraudulently collected benefits and made baseless insurance benefit claims. Her disability benefits included her full salary, which was tax-free, and all of her medical expenses, according to the DA's office. Brown's story started unfolding when she was spotted drinking and dancing at the Stagecoach Music Festival in April 2023. More than 750,000 people attended the rowdy event at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. With music blaring and temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, it was likely one of the last places someone with a concussion would find themselves. The police department heard about Brown's eventful weekend and she was called to an interactive Zoom meeting to assess her abilities three days later. 'During the meeting Brown claimed she was unable to look at the screen,' the DA's office wrote. Schuman, who has been charged with two felonies for allegedly aiding Brown's scheme, was also at the meeting to advocate for his step-daughter. He said 'she was unable to do paperwork, and was uncertain that she could do phone calls due to her inability to process words or thoughts.' Pictured: Stock image. Afterwards, Brown was admitted to an in-patient clinic for people with traumatic brain injuries. Her festival appearance was then referred to the DA office and an investigation was launched - allegedly uncovering that Brown's entire leave was actually an extended vacation. Prosecutors said since she left her job, she had ran in two 5K races and went snowboarding in Big Bear and Mammoth. She also allegedly attended three soccer conferences and baseball games. Instead of resting her head, she played golf and went gone to Disneyland. Pictured: Stock image. Brown had even enrolled in online college courses at a local college. Schuman faces two felonies - one count of count of making a fraudulent insurance benefit claim and one count of assisting, abetting, conspiring with and soliciting a person in unlawful act. His license to practice law is still active, according to the State Bar of California. But the legal association has added a warning to his profile: 'This attorney has been charged with a felony.' Pictured: Stock image. Brown was charged with nine counts of making a fraudulent statement to obtain compensation, six counts of making a fraudulent insurance benefit claim, and one enhancement of committing an aggravated while collar crime over $100,000. She faces up to 22 years in prison if she is convicted of all the felony charges. 'Our residents count on us to protect their taxpayer dollars and ensure that employees who are actually injured receive the support they need to recover. Fraud will not be tolerated in Westminster,' Mayor Nguyen said.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Yahoo
Jewellery store owner 'needed victim' for fake robbery
A jewellery store employee was called into work on the day of a staged robbery because her boss "needed a real victim" to fool police and make a $2.8 million insurance claim, a jury has heard. Germani Jewellers' store at Sydney's Hilton Hotel was robbed by two men one night in January 2023. Its owner Michel Germani, 67, owed more than $184,000 in rent to the hotel and formed a plan to recoup funds before the store was shut down, prosecutor Cate Dodds previously told a NSW District Court jury. Mounir Helou, 59, and Andrea David Cusumano, 59, are jointly on trial accused of being in on the scheme Helou is accused of being one of the two men who robbed the store, tying up Germani and shop assistant Lana Al-Khoury. She had not been rostered on the night of the robbery but had been called in to work by her boss. On Wednesday, Ms Dodds urged the jury to reject claims by lawyers for the three men on trial that Ms Al-Khoury also knew the robbery was fake. Germani told Helou and the second man, who cannot be legally named, to tie her up to fool police and his insurance company. "Michel Germani needed a real victim so it would look like a real and legitimate robbery," she said. Ms Al-Khoury's terror and distress had been witnessed by security guards and police who attended the store after the robbery, the jury was told. Claims the shop assistant had lied about the emotional effects of the incident to get worker's compensation should also be rejected, Ms Dodds said. Ms Al-Khoury's court evidence that she feared losing her job after seeing jewellery being moved out of the Hilton store and into Germani's other shop nearby had an "absolute ring of truth" about it, the jury was told. Someone planning to feign psychological symptoms and "pull the wool" over doctors and insurers for compensation would not have been worried about losing their job, Ms Dodds said. The eventual insurance claim seeking to recoup $2,821,348 for 164 items of jewellery "stolen" was denied, the court was told previously. Germani has pleaded not guilty to one count of aggravated robbery and one count of detaining without consent - both of which relate to what happened to Ms Al-Khoury on the night. He has admitted staging the robbery to gain financially through the attempted insurance claim and to providing false statements to police. Helou has also admitted staging the robbery but has denied a more serious charge of aggravated robbery against Ms Al-Khoury. Both Germani and Helou are accused of committing "corporal violence" on the shop attendant. Cusumano has pleaded not guilty to one count of committing the staged robbery to obtain a financial advantage. The trial continues.
