Mass. Man Arraigned on Charges of Forging Insurance Documents for $5,500 in Benefits

A Leominster, Massachusetts man has been arraigned on charges he allegedly forged insurance documents in an effort to receive $5,500 for a personal injury, Attorney General Tom Reilly announced.

Keith DeBarge, 38, of Leominster was arraigned in Worcester District Court on one count each of insurance fraud, larceny over $250 and two counts each of forgery and uttering forged documents. He pleaded not guilty and is next scheduled to appear in court June 1 for pre-trial conference.

The charges against DeBarge stem from alleged incidents that occurred between January and December 1998. During that time, DeBarge allegedly filed a claim for personal injury protection benefits with Amica Mutual Insurance Company regarding a motor vehicle accident in Worcester on January 16, 1998. DeBarge allegedly claimed he had lost wages of $5,440 from his employer, ACE Foundations of Leominster, where he worked as a laborer. Amica allegedly paid DeBarge nearly $6,000 in June 1998 based upon information DeBarge provided about his employment and income at ACE Foundations.

The investigation found that DeBarge was not in fact employed by ACE at the relevant time and did not suffer any lost wages from the company. The charges further allege that DeBarge himself forged various documents that he said were from ACE Foundations to defraud Amica Mutual in his claim.