CNBNews

The arrests announced today involve some of the most common types of insurance fraud. As of press time, 27 of the 29 targets have been arrested.

Among those arrested are two men from Trenton, New Jersey, who allegedly conspired to set a car on fire in Bucks County in order to defraud an insurance company of $25,000; three individuals from Western Pennsylvania accused of obtaining thousands of prescription painkillers by forging prescriptions; and a woman from Union County who allegedly earned more than $21,000 working as a private caregiver, while claiming to be totally disabled and receiving more than $38,000 in disability benefits.

Arrest warrants remain active for two individuals: Ojea Crosby, 22, 901 Penn St., Philadelphia, who is expected to turn herself in tomorrow; and Ruschelle Henry, 30, 16340 Amberson Road, Spring Run, Franklin County, who authorities are still searching for.

The Insurance Fraud Section's monthly newsletters detail the multitude of cases handled by the Office of Attorney General on a daily basis.

In 1994, legislation was enacted in Pennsylvania establishing the Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority (IFPA) and a Fraud Trust Fund. All insurance companies authorized to transact business in Pennsylvania pay an annual assessment into the fund. The funds provide financial support to the Insurance Fraud Section and other law enforcement agencies to support insurance fraud investigations and prosecutions.

Private citizens can report allegations of insurance fraud using an online form or by calling the IFPA's hotline at 1-888-565-IFPA (4372).

Consumers with a complaint involving an insurance company that does not involve fraud should contact the Pennsylvania Insurance Department at 1-877-881-6388 or the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection at 1-800-441-2555.

Below is a list of the defendants, the charges against them and a description of their alleged criminal acts.

Eastern Region
Michael Sargo, 40, 271 Eaton Ave., Trenton, New Jersey, and Cesar Laboy, 27, 147 Churchill Ave., Trenton, New Jersey, each are charged with two counts of insurance fraud and individual counts of attempted theft by deception, arson, conspiracy, false reports, and criminal use of a communication facility. Sargo and Lobay allegedly conspired to set a car on fire in Bucks County in order to defraud Sargo's insurance company of $25,000.

Ojea Crosby, 22, 901 Penn St., Philadelphia, is charged with one count of insurance fraud and one count criminal attempt theft by deception. The charges state that Crosby obtained insurance on her 2009 Mercedes C240 the day after being involved in a crash that left more than $5,000 in damages to her car. The day after purchasing insurance, Crosby allegedly filed a false claim with her insurance provider for the accident.

Levi Baxter, 54, 2903 Jenny Place, Philadelphia, is charged with one count of insurance fraud and one count criminal attempt theft by deception. Baxter allegedly falsely reported additional damage to his vehicle after an auto accident in June 2012. Baxter allegedly told his insurance company different stories in an attempt to get it to cover unrelated damage.

Lucian Goode-Edmonds, 28, 1040 W. Allen St., Allentown, Lehigh County, is charged with one count each of insurance fraud and criminal attempt theft by deception. Edmonds-Goode allegedly submitted a false claim to Progressive Insurance based on an accident that occurred prior to his policy being purchased. He also allegedly tried to falsely claim over $1,900 in medical expenses for his children.

Oba White, 41, 5437 Beaumont St., Philadelphia, is charged with one count each of insurance fraud and criminal attempt theft by deception. White allegedly obtained auto insurance an hour after being involved in an accident then falsely claimed the accident occurred 20 minutes after coverage was obtained.

Edward Burke, 63 Diesinger Dr., Schwenksville, Montgomery County, is charged with one count each of insurance fraud and criminal attempt theft by deception. The charges state that Burke sought more than $7,000 for repairs to an ATV that was not covered by his policy until after the accident occurred.

Frederick Hill, 51, 713 Pine St., Darby, Delaware County, is charged with one count each of insurance fraud and criminal attempt theft by deception. Hill allegedly falsely reported damage from an auto accident with a taxicab. The taxi driver had photographs of Hill's vehicle from immediately following the incident showing no damage.

Central Region
Christina Dorman, 50, 19 Horseshoe Bend Road, Middleburg, Union County is charged with two counts of workers' compensation fraud and one count of theft by deception. The charges state that Dorman was paid $38,000 in total disability benefits but allegedly earned more than $21,000 working as a private caregiver from March until July of 2012 while claiming to be totally disabled.

Adam Worden, 35, 195 Whyne Road, Jersey Shore, Lycoming County, is charged with 823 counts of workers' compensation fraud by employer. According to the criminal complaint, from April 18, 2012 until July 21, 2014, Worden allegedly was operating his business, American Nature Care Tree Service, without workers' compensation insurance as required by law.

Sabrina Lawson, 36, 171 Hazle St., Delano, Schuylkill County is charged with one count each of insurance fraud and criminal attempt theft by deception. Lawson allegedly staged a slip and fall event outside her employer at the Frackville Mall and filed a fraudulent claim with her insurer.

Jeannie Alexis, 43, 754 Tuckerton Ave., Temple, Lehigh County is charged with two counts of insurance fraud and one count criminal attempt theft by deception. Alexis allegedly added collision insurance and her daughter to her Progressive policy after her daughter was involved in an auto accident. The accident was allegedly later reported by her daughter as occurring hours later than it actually had occurred.

Michael Sterling Eisenhart, 36, 6264 Sunset Lane, Glen Rock, Lancaster County, and Amber Rae Eisenhart, 34, 1518 Gish Road, Lancaster County, are both charged with two counts of insurance fraud. According to the criminal complaints, the Eisenharts both lied about the nature of an accident that they claimed was a "hit-and-run" in order to avoid paying higher premiums and deductibles as a result.

Russell Lloyd Brobst, 35, 226 S. Middle St., Frackville, Schuylkill County is charged with two counts of insurance fraud and one count criminal attempt theft by deception. Brobst allegedly misrepresented the timing of an automobile accident to GEICO Insurance, even though the Frackville Police Department had an accurate account of his accident.

Andrea Michelle Schmid, 37, and Visiting Angels of Greater Lebanon, both of 316 Winding Hill Drive, Lancaster, each are charged with one count of insurance fraud and one count of theft by deception. According to the criminal complaints, Schmid, as the Director and Operator of Visiting Angels of Greater Lebanon (a wholly independent franchise of the national organization), allegedly overbilled Pinnacle Health for hours worked and mileage.

Western Region
Jonathan St. George, 33, 1406 Hiland Ave., Coraopolis, Allegheny County, is charged with three counts of acquisition of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, and one count each of delivery of a controlled substance, identity theft, forgery and criminal conspiracy. Loretta Taylor, 34, 1406 Hiland Ave., Coraopolis, and William Grundy, 32, 516 Seventh Ave., Coraopolis, each are charged with two counts of acquisition of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, and one count each of identity theft, forgery and criminal conspiracy. George, Taylor and Grundy allegedly conspired to use forged perscriptions to collectively obtain approximately 2,700 oxycodone pills.

Michael Albright, 41, 2051 Adams Ave., Tyrone, Blair County, is charged with two counts of insurance fraud and one count of criminal attempt theft by deception. Albright allegedly filed a false claim for nearly $5,000 in August 2013 for an accident that actually occurred in April 2013 prior to obtaining insurance.

Jessica Cardillo, 32, 324 2nd Ave, Bridgeville, Allegheny County, is charged with two counts of insurance fraud, one count of theft by deception and one count of criminal conspiracy to commit theft by deception. Dianne Cardillo, 49, 206 Fannie St., McDonald, Washington County, and Michelle D'Angelo, 53, 339 Profio Road, McDonald, Washington County, each are charged with two counts of insurance fraud and one count of criminal conspiracy to commit theft by deception. The charges state that Jessica Cardillo allegedly conspired with Dianne Cardillo and D'Angelo to get $1,887 in fake expenses covered by her insurance company after a fire at her home.

Theresa Clark, 42, 387 Ferguson Road, Brookville, Jefferson County, is charged with one count of insurance fraud and one count of criminal attempt theft by deception. Clark allegedly lied to her insurance company about the timing of an auto accident on Interstate 80 after realizing her coverage had lapsed, and sought to obtain coverage for more than $8,000 in estimated repairs.

Antawn Davis, 35, 714 Ajax Way, Braddock, Allegheny County, is charged with one count of workers' compensation fraud. Davis is charged with allegedly lying to his employer about an injury he claimed occurred during work hours but actually occurred while moving a refrigerator outside of work hours.

Mark Maier, 47, 2315 Pine Grove Road, Industry, Beaver County, is charged with one count of insurance fraud and one count of criminal attempt theft by deception. Maier allegedly claimed pre-existing damage to the passenger side of his vehicle in an effort to fraudulently secure $1,707 in estimated repairs.

Christopher and Kristen Osselborn, 28 and 27, 1102 Milan Ave., Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, each are charged with two counts of insurance fraud and one count of criminal attempt theft by deception. An investigation revealed that the Osselborns allegedly lied to their insurance company about the timing of an accident to try to get more than $5,700 in repairs covered, even though the damage occurred after their coverage had lapsed.

Ruschelle Lee Henry, 30, 16340 Amberson Road, Spring Run, Franklin County, is charged with two counts of insurance fraud and one count of attempted theft by deception. Henry allegedly lied to her insurance company about the timing of an accident and attempted to get reimbursed for repairs in excess of $6,400.

(A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.)