Nationwide insurance adjuster convicted of stealing $60K

A former Maryland adjuster with one of the nation’s leading insurers doctored insurance claims to keep money for himself.

Insurance News

By

A former insurance adjuster with one of the nation’s leading property/casualty carriers has been convicted of falsifying documents to claim more than $60,000.

Joseph Paul Ort, a former Nationwide adjuster in Maryland, stole the money by doctoring claims applications, creating false people, injuries and accidents and then collecting the claims money, which was paid in gift cards.

Between December 2012 and November 2013, Ort collected the Visa debit cards on 22 different occasions. He used the company database to record that the cards had been sent to policyholders, who were not aware of the scheme.

In some cases, Ort added fictitious people or injuries to legitimate claims in order to increase the value of Nationwide’s payments.

He was caught as the result of a joint investigation by the Office of the Attorney General and the Maryland Insurance Administration Insurance Fraud Division.

A Howard County Circuit Court convicted Ort of felony theft, and sentenced him to five years in prison. He must also pay $1,500 in restitution and then undergo five years’ probation.

Ort has already repaid most of the stolen funds to the insurance company.
 

Keep up with the latest news and events

Join our mailing list, it’s free!