Originally published February 7 2005
Auto insurance fraud in Brooklyn leads to highest rates in New York
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
People who live in Brooklyn pay about twice as much for car insurance as Bronx residents. In fact, Brooklyn has, on average, the highest auto insurance rates in all of New York State. Industry officials say that Brooklyn is a haven for fraudulent claims and, as a result, the average car owner's bill for basic, state-mandated coverage is over $3,000 per year.
If you drive a car in Brooklyn, chances are you've encountered many headaches during that endless search for a parking spot.
It is largely due to auto insurance fraud.
These criminal enterprises are centered on fake clinics known as "Doc in the Box" operations, which use an intricate system of fake victims who claim false injuries and then, after being "treated" by one of these clinics, fraudulently bill medical and auto insurance companies.
Though New York State law requires medical doctors to operate clinics, most of these operations are not under the supervision of a doctor and instead are under the operation of unlicensed management teams.
The Brooklyn District Attorney's office, which is responsible for investigating and prosecuting these local criminals, has not been able to keep up with these vast criminal enterprises in recent years.
At the state level, the Attorney General's Auto Insurance Fraud Unit has been quite successful in regard to producing meaningful convictions.
The Brooklyn D.A.'s failure to do this is evident in the lack of high-level prosecution - cases that other law enforcement teams, including the Attorney General's, are consistently putting together.
Since many of the auto fraud cases also cross jurisdictional lines, it would make sense to work with other local prosecutors to investigate and prosecute.
The D.A. also needs to work together with the State Legislature to propose new, anti-kickback legislation, similar to the type used to fight against Medicaid fraud, that would effectively prohibit the clinics and law firms from paying middlemen who act as conduits between the "victims" and those who are perpetrating and certifying the fraudulent claims.
Mark G. Peters, the former chief of the New York State Attorney General's Public Integrity Unit, is running for Brooklyn District Attorney.
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