Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor announced that an Essex County man has pleaded guilty to orchestrating a staged automobile accident in Newark in 2012 and later seeking more than $25,000 in payouts for medical treatment from his insurer.
In a plea before Essex County Superior Court Judge Michael Ravin, Jerry Previlon, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree insurance fraud in connection with the crime. Under the negotiated agreement, Previlon is expected to be sentenced to five years in prison.
In August Previlon and his former girlfriend, twenty-one-year-old Yasmeen Louis of Union, were charged by a state grand jury with second-degree insurance fraud, second-degree conspiracy, third-degree attempted theft by deception and third-degree tampering with public records or information.
Louis has applied to the court for entry into the Pre-Trial Intervention Program.
According to the indictment, in September 2012, Louis was driving a 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix, with Previlon riding in the passenger seat and two other individuals riding in the back when the car was struck by another vehicle in Newark. According to Louis’ sworn statement to investigators, the unidentified driver of the other vehicle, who Louis stated was an acquaintance of Previlon, then exited his vehicle, entered a third vehicle driven by another unidentified driver, and fled the scene of the accident. The indictment alleged that over the next several months Previlon and Louis filed 28 claims each that totaled approximately $25,100 with Liberty Mutual for various medical treatments at South Orange Trauma Center.
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.