Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) announced that a former Brick Township employee today pleaded guilty to stealing more than $940,000 from the township’s health insurance program.
Kim E. Bogan, 52, of Brick, pleaded guilty to an accusation charging her with second-degree theft by deception in a hearing before Superior Court Judge Linda G. Baxter in Ocean County. As part of the plea agreement, the State will recommend a five-year prison sentence when Bogan is sentenced on January 2, 2018. She will also be required to pay $941,354.77 in restitution to the township.
Bogan, who worked in the township’s Building Department, admitted that between January 2011 and April 2017 she assisted an-out-of-state health care practitioner in submitting false claims to her employee health insurance program, which is self-funded by Brick Township. The claims were for treatments purportedly rendered to individuals covered under Bogan’s policy.
“The defendant allowed the practitioner to submit claims in her name for services never rendered, and endorsed the insurance checks when they were mailed to her, knowing the money was stolen,” said Attorney General Porrino. “What’s even more disturbing is that she went along with the scheme knowing that the taxpayers of Brick Township - her friends and neighbors -would be responsible for picking up the tab for the bogus claims.”
“This township employee stole money meant to cover health care services for her co-workers and their families,” said Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Christopher Iu. “We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute this kind of claims fraud to protect these resources for those who legitimately need them.”
Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Iu noted that some important cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-877-55-FRAUD, or visiting the Web site at www.NJInsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit a reward to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance fraud.