POLICE OFFICER ACCUSED OF INSURANCE FRAUD

Police officers are charged with enforcing the laws we live by, whether it be traffic rules or laws prohibiting fraud. Because of this, it is a troubling irony when a police officer is accused of a crime.

A Dallas police officer is accused of filing several fraudulent insurance claims to his carrier. According to a DallasNews.com report, the officer filed at least nine insurance claims since 2008. Records provided by a special agent for the National Insurance Crime Bureau show several unusual claims being filed and a pattern of financial despair suggesting that the claims were not valid.

For instance, the officer filed two claims (in December 2010 and September 2011 respectively) where he claimed damages to his vehicle. After the insurance company asked him to submit to questioning under oath, he declined and dropped his claim each time. The officer also filed another insurance claim soon after the Internal Revenue Service filed a $49,000 tax lien in June 2012. Also, investigators for the insurance company found that the damages found were not consistent with the damages reported.

These claims, in conjunction with the officer’s involvement in a fatal, off-duty shooting raised suspicions about potential insurance fraud.

Nevertheless, police officers are entitled to the same rights and protections that every citizen is entitled to when accused of a crime. Essentially, they have a right to remain silent, the right to speak to an attorney before entering a plea, and the right to confront accusers.

The officer is currently on administrative leave and denies any wrongdoing as a result of the insurance claims.

Source: DallasNews.com, “Dallas officer faces firing after police say he committed insurance fraud,” Tanya Eiserer, November 4, 2013