Our Difference. Sincerely,

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Brook Phillips
8 years ago
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1 Our Difference The Robison Group prides itself in our ability to investigate and manage claims from inception to case close. The following articles are just a few of our stories. Enjoy. Sincerely, Ryan Robison Chief Executive Officer P M F referrals@therobisongroup.com

3 July 2010 By Patrick Burke, Direct of Investigation, The Robison Group Cooperation between MetLife Auto & Home, the Chicago Police Department, the Cook County State s Attorney s Office and Condon & Cook law firm leads to a success story. An insured from Chicago, Illinois made an insurance claim for the theft of his 2006 Ford Explorer in February, He claimed he parked it on the street in his neighborhood one night. He returned home from work the following day and noticed the car was gone. A motor vehicle theft report was filed with the Chicago Police Department. The car was recovered one week later in East Chicago, Indiana with body damage. The claim was handled by MetLife Auto & Home Claims Adjuster Dawn Brinkmeier. The file was reviewed by Senior SIU Analyst Debbie Heck after several SIU indicators were noted. Dawn and Debbie then referred the claim to me. I took an in-person recorded statement of the insured and his family members who had knowledge of the loss. They also inspected the recovered vehicle and canvassed the loss location as well as the recovery location. During the recorded statement, the insured denied ever having been to Northwest Indiana and also denied knowing or speaking with anyone in that area. After obtaining copies of the insured s cellphone records, it was determined that the insured had made several calls to various telephone numbers in Northwest Indiana. The insured never responded to requests for copies of his I-PASS toll records after it was noted that one would likely travel through several toll booths between the location of the loss and the location of the recovery. Further investigation developed an informant who described the true scenario surrounding the claim. The informant had been approached by the insured with a request for his assistance in getting rid of the insured vehicle so the insured could file an insurance claim for a stolen car. He said this was done since the insured could not afford the car any longer. The insured dropped of the car, its keys and $500 with the informant before returning home. A few days later, the person whose house the car was parked in front of became angry that her parking spot on the street in front of her house was not occupied. She called the police who determined it was reported stolen and recovered the car. A copy of the claim file was forwarded to Detective Arnulfo Ramirez and Detective Brian Lyons with the Chicago Police Department. They are both detached to the Northeast Metro Auto Theft Task Force. Subsequent investigation led to the Cook County State s Attorney s Office charging the insured with Insurance Fraud. On January 27, 2010, the insured plead guilty to Insurance Fraud and was sentenced to 24-months probation and was ordered to perform 80 hours of community service.

4 On February 19, 2010, MetLife Auto & Home filed a civil lawsuit against the insured in Cook County, Illinois under statute 720 ILCS 5/46-1 Article 46 titled Insurance Fraud, Fraud on a Government Related Offense. The statute allows an insurance company to seek three times the amount paid on a claim and two times the amount an insured attempts to be paid on plus reimbursement on all costs and expenses associated with the investigation and handling of the claim and associated attorney fees. Attorney Mark Ruda of Condon and Cook, LLC is handling the lawsuit on behalf of MetLife Auto & Home. The above is a clear example of cooperation between an insurance company s claims departed, Special Investigation Unit, a police department, a prosecutor s office and defense counsel and how we can all work together to take a case full circle eventually leading to the proper end result. Patrick Burke (CFE, CIFI, FCLA) has been investigating insurance fraud for 19 years. After 13 years with an insurance company Special Investigation Unit, he recently transitioned to the position of Director of Investigations at The Robison Group. He can be reached at (630) MetLife Auto & Home is a brand of Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company and its affiliates. Warwick, RI. pburke@therobisongroup.com

8 Davison man accused of scheme to get BP cash December 09, 2010 (Detroit Free Press McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) He s the ice cream scammer. That s how federal authorities are portraying a Michigan man who is facing criminal charges for filing a phone claim to recover money from oil giant BP, claiming the gulf coast oil spill caused his ice cream business in Florida to suffer financially, according to a complaint filed Friday in federal court in Detroit. Kevin Hall of Davison is facing mail fraud charges for trying to hit BP up for $9,000.00, claiming that is how much his K&B Ice Cream stand in Pensacola, Florida, suffered as a result of the oil spill. Trouble is, the complaint says, no such ice cream business exists in Pensacola, or in a Florida regulatory books. In court documents, U.S. Secret Service Agent Kimberlee Fitzgerald offered a detailed account of how authorities caught onto Hall, and the lengths he went to for $9, Fitzgerald s account says that on June 20, Hall filed a claim for lost revenue with BP. He provided a detailed business plan for a store at 10 Porofino Drive, a balance sheet that claimed total assets of $25,000.00, and three receipts for products allegedly purchased from Ice Cream Wholesale of Florida. In August, Hall was assigned a claim number by the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF), but his claim raised red flags. He had ed GCCF at least 10 times in one week, once requesting that an emergency payment be deposited into an account at Palm Desert National Bank in San Remon, California. On November 23, Fitzgerald was contacted for help. Her investigation revealed the following: There was no ice cream stand at 10 Portofino Drive, but rather a spa and resort whose owners said they had never heard of Kevin Hall, his business, nor ever authorized his ice cream stand; the receipts from the ice cream wholesaler were fake, and the bank account he wanted money deposited into was a prepaid Visa debit card. Fitzgerald requested a warrant be issued for Hall s arrest. Hall is expected to be arrested today. Efforts to reach Hall in Davison were unsuccessful. One Kevin Hall reached by phone said he was not the Hall wanted by authorities. Another phone number listed under his name was disconnected.

BURNET COUNTY ATTORNEY S OFFICE Don't Get Burned By A Hot Check

Eddie Arredondo Hot Check Division Burnet County Attorney 220 South Pierce Phone: (512) 756-5413 or (512) 715-5208 Burnet, Texas 78611 Fax: (512)756-9290 BURNET COUNTY ATTORNEY S OFFICE Don't Get Burned