Idaho Man Sentenced for Fraud

Former Bend, Ore., resident Robert Pratt, 39, was sentenced for conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said. Fourth District Judge Ronald Wilpur sentenced Pratt to seven years in prison and ordered him to pay $13,252.76 in restitution. The court retained jurisdiction for 180 days.

In May 2005, Pratt was taken by his girlfriend, Jeri Willets, to the emergency room at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. Willets provided the hospital with her Blue Cross of Idaho insurance card and claimed Pratt was her estranged husband who was covered under her medical policy. Blue Cross of Idaho was billed more than $13,252 for the emergency surgery and the related hospital expenses for Pratt’s surgery. When Blue Cross discovered that Pratt had impersonated Willets soon-to-be ex-husband, Blue Cross denied the claims, leaving the medical providers unpaid.

Pratt was arrested in Oregon on Nov. 12, 2006, and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud on Jan. 1, 2007. Jeri Willets was sentenced on Feb. 6, 2007 for her part in the crime.

A joint investigation by Donald Roberson, Charles Hudson and Kevin Blue of the Idaho Department of Insurance and Karen Wright of the Special Investigations Unit for Blue Cross of Idaho led to the charges. The case was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Unit.

Source: IAG