Burlington County, NJ Woman Sentenced for $48,000 Prescription Drug Insurance Fraud

Article continues below...

August 30, 2007 -- TRENTON - New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram and Division of Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced that a Burlington County woman was sentenced today for stealing more than $48,000 by filing phony prescription drugs claims.

According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden Brown, Dawn M. Nehring, 34, of Maple Shade, was ordered by Superior Court Judge Patricia R. LeBon to serve five years of special drug court probation. Nehring was sentenced pursuant to her June 21 guilty plea to theft by deception, a charge contained in a July 13, 2006 Burlington County grand jury indictment.

In pleading guilty, Nehring admitted that between Jan. 17, 2001 and Oct. 16, 2003, she illegally used the prescription drug insurance benefits of her grandmother, mother and her brother to obtain prescription painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs. Nehring fraudulently used prescription drug insurance plans and labor union prescription drug plans from several companies, including Independence Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Aetna Insurance Company, and the Carpenters Pension and Annuity Fund of Philadelphia.

Nehring admitted that she fraudulent used the prescription drug benefit cards and related information to fill the prescriptions for narcotic drugs at numerous pharmacies. As a result of her fraudulent activity, $61,052 in phony claims for prescription drugs were submitted on Nehring’s behalf, of which $48,023 was paid by the insurance carriers or other prescription drug plans.

State Investigator Shaun Egan, Civil Investigator Gene Fayer and Deputy Attorney General Stephen J. Cirillo were assigned to the investigation. Cirillo represented the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor at the sentencing.

This case was referred to OIFP by the Special Investigative Units of Independence Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Aetna Insurance Company, and the Carpenters Pension and Annuity Fund, which initially uncovered the fraud and assisted OIFP in the investigation. Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Brown thanks the insurance companies for their involvement in this matter.

Source: New Jersey Attorney General