Fraud News: Fake Theft Claim, Iowa Claims Rep and Texas Pharmacist Sentenced

Hawaii Man Accused of Making False insurance Claims Pleads Guilty

A Honolulu police officer suspected of staging a home burglary has pleaded guilty to two charges related to the incident.

Travis E. Copeland pleaded guilty to two counts of insurance fraud on Thursday.

He is facing prison terms of up to five years for each count.

His lawyer says Copeland will ask the court to defer his guilty pleas and give him the opportunity to avoid conviction.

The state’s Insurance Division says Copeland staged a burglary at his Oahu home and then made an insurance claim for the loss electronics, cash, liquor and jewelry worth nearly $5,000 in total.

Copeland also claimed his Mercedes-Benz had been stolen, but eyewitnesses reported seeing it burn nearby.

The state says Copeland admitted to staging the burglary and destroying his vehicle to make false insurance claims.

Former Iowa Insurance Claims Rep Sentenced for Fraud

Authorities say a former insurance claims representative in West Des Moines, Iowa, has been sentenced to two years’ probation in a fraud case.

The Iowa Insurance Division said Thursday that Cora Harrington pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree fraudulent practices, a felony. Besides probation, she was also ordered to pay restitution.

An investigation begun in 2017 concluded that Harrington submitted false information in support of insurance claims and altered insurance company records to generate payments for her own benefit.

Investigators say she altered the names of parties involved in insurance claims and created payments under those fictitious names. Checks totaling more than $4,000 were generated and deposited into bank accounts belonging to Harrington.

Texas Pharmacy Owner Gets 5 Years in Chiropractor Scheme

A Houston, Texas, pharmacist must serve five years in federal prison and repay $5.3 million in a healthcare kickbacks scheme linked to a chiropractor.

Nermin Awad El-Hadik, of Hope Pharmacy Inc., was sentenced Friday in Austin. She pleaded guilty in 2016 to willful offer and payment of illegal remuneration in a federal healthcare program.

Prosecutors say El-Hadik paid kickbacks to chiropractor Garry Wayne Craighead for workers’ compensation referrals. Craighead had clinics in Dallas, Fort Worth, Killeen, Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Weslaco and Beaumont and mainly treated U.S. Postal Service workers.

Records show Craighead in 2015 pleaded guilty to counts including solicitation and receipt of illegal remunerations in federal health programs. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered to repay the government nearly $18 million.