California Insurance Fraud Places Attorneys Under Siege
Attorneys have become the targets of police stings as the result of law enforcement’s crack down on insurance fraud.
Law enforcement is reacting to an outcry of employers and citizens who have been hit in the pocketbook by insurance fraud.
California law now broadly defines fraudulent activity, expanding an attorney’s vulnerability to prosecution. Since the law’s enactment, extensive funds to combat fraud have now become available. The result is that Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys are under siege.
“We’ve stepped up siege and fraud investigation considerably,” reports Denis Zine, Traffic Enforcement Supervisor with the Los Angeles Police Department. “Our investigations are starting to target teams of lawyers, doctors and front men who operate fraud mills. Unfortunately, there is no way for lawyers to spot signs of a sting operation.”
You Can Protect Yourself
Not all attorneys caught by a police sting have participated in fraud willing or knowingly. It is vital to take precautions not to become the target of those crackdowns. First, be aware of the signs of a fraudulent or staged accident that are considered as red flags by the police. (See “Signs of a Staged Accident of Police Sting.” )
I also recommend that if you do suspect fraud, you take the following actions to protect yourself from prosecution:
- Decline a case you suspect is fraudulent and write a detailed memorandum including your question and suspicions.
- Take detailed, copious notes of your interactions. Include taped discussions with witnesses of other parties involved in the case.
- If you have information that proves the case is fraudulent, such as knowledge that a second vehicle doesn’t exist, you may want, after conferring with your own trained counsel, to report it to the police.
- If you are contacted regarding a case by law enforcement, or if you suspect that you have become a target, immediately contact legal counsel experienced in these matters.
