MCKEESPORT – Agents from the Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud section today arrested a couple accused of making false auto insurance claims. The couple made 23 claims, worth more than $69,000, over a three-year period.
Attorney General Tom Corbett said that Willie Ballard, 44, and Estela Perez, 31, McKeesport, allegedly greatly inflated damages and injuries related with their auto insurance claims, tried to collect twice for some of the damages, and sometimes even completely fabricated the accidents.
Corbett said that all of the claims were based on accidents in Allegheny County, including six of the incidents that were said to occur when the defendants crashed into a tree in their own driveway.
According to the investigation, 11 of the incidents were said to be due to one of the defendants crashing into stationary objects, including trees, a wall, a parked car, stairs, a utility pole and engine parts scattered on the road.
Corbett said that in one instance, Ballard took out an insurance policy on a Ford Windstar van and 10 days later, had his deductable reduced from $250 to $100. Two days later, Ballard claimed to have crashed the van into a Dumpster.
According to court documents, that particular accident was completely fabricated.
Corbett said that each time the defendants sought medical treatments due to one of the accidents; they went to see Dr. Abraham Constantino. The defendants allegedly visited Constantino hundreds of times over the last three years.
According to court documents, there were discrepancies in the records kept by Dr. Abraham Constantino, who repeatedly treated the defendants for their injuries related to the accidents.
The investigation revealed that Constantino produced medical bills on 162 occasions for Perez. According to Constantino’s records, Perez came in for 133 visits, but her name was only on his sign-in log on 80 of those dates. There were; however, 21 dates that her name was on the sign-in log, but had no other corresponding records of treatment. Constantino also gave Perez 17 pre scri ptions for Vicodin and two for Percocet over a 16-month period.
According to court documents, Constantino produced medical bills 54 times for Ballard over a four-month period. According to Constantino’s records, Ballard made 53 visits, but his name was only on his sign-in log on 27 of those dates. Ballard’s name was; however, signed in on 15 different dates that had no corresponding records of treatment. In this same 4-month period, Ballard was given 15 Vicodin pre scri ptions.
Ballard and Perez are both charged with five counts of insurance fraud, three counts of theft by deception and one count of criminal attempt and one count of criminal conspiracy. Each count is a third-degree felony, carrying a maximum charge of seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
Both defendants were also charged with one count of theft by deception, which is a first-degree misdemeanor carrying a maximum charge of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The defendants surrendered today to agents from the Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud Section. They were preliminarily arraigned before Allegheny County Magisterial District Judge Eugene Riazzi and released on their own recognizance. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday, April 28.
The case will be prosecuted in Allegheny County by Senior Deputy Attorney General Scott Robinette of the Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud Section.