By Audrey Levine, Staff Writer
A Camplain Road resident was charged Monday with insurance fraud in connection with a false report of a car accident dating back to April.
Alex Cubero, 21, was charged with third-degree insurance fraud, third-degree attempted theft by deception and giving fictitious reports in the incident as was Jorge Henao, 22, of Somerville.
According to Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest, the office’s Insurance Fraud Unit received information from the National Insurance Crime Bureau in April that Mr. Henao had submitted a fraudulent claim on his Mercury Insurance Company policy.
In an investigation by the fraud unit, Mr. Forrest said it was discovered Mr. Henao and Mr. Cubero had reported a motor vehicle accident in Manville on Sept. 2, 2008. Mr. Henao claimed he drove his motor vehicle over Mr. Cubero’s motorcycle, causing $9,000 worth of damage to the motorcycle.
Afterward, Mr. Forrest said, Mr. Henao sent a property damage claim to Mercury Insurance Company, stating the incident happened at another person’s home in Manville.
In investigating the claim, Mr. Forrest said, Mercury Insurance Company found inconsistencies between the reported accident and the damage that actually was done to the motorcycle. Investigators with the company, he said, determined Mr. Henao lied about the accident with the damage occurring to the motorcycle several weeks before the incident was reported to police.
It also was found the accident occurred in a parking lot, Mr. Forrest said.
The company, Mr. Forrest said, discovered Mr. Cubero and Mr. Henao had agreed to file an insurance claim for damage to Mr. Henao’s company because Mr. Cubero’s did not cover this damage. The accident actually was staged at the home in Manville, Mr. Forrest said.
Although it was confirmed by the prosecutor’s office the accident was staged and a false police report was filed, Mr. Forrest said, evidence suggests Mr. Cubero’s cousin, Jason Rodriguez, actually crashed the motorcycle in a parking lot, although detectives could not determine where or when. The motorcycle was taken to the house where Mr. Henao backed over it with his car to file the insurance claim.
After that, Mr. Forrest said, it appears the Manville Police Department was contacted and given a false accident report before Mr. Henao filed the claim with his insurance company.
Mr. Forrest said the person whose house was used to stage the accident informed authorities he allowed Mr. Cubero to store the motorcycle there, but had no knowledge of the incident itself.
According to Mr. Forrest, Mr. Cubero surrendered to detectives around 3:30 p.m. Monday. Mr. Henao has not yet turned himself in.
