Auto Fraud Task Force

What has become a disturbing trend in auto insurance fraud is those that get their cars stolen so they can get a payout, instead of having them fixed. The idea is that if you find out that it will cost more to have your car fixed than it is worth, you arrange to have someone “steal” your car, then you report it to the police. Then when your car is either not found, or found destroyed, you get the car insurance company to pay you for it, and you use that money towards another car.

However, there is a new task force in Methuen and Lawrenceville that is cracking down on auto insurance fraud. They discovered a recent case where James Hagopian took his car to a Lawrenceville repair shop only to be told that he needed a new transmission. Realizing that it would cost too much, he arranged to have a friend “steal” the car, then reported it to police. He also reported it to his car insurance company saying that the car had no transmission problems and that it was in “good” condition.

However, Roberto Reyes, an ex-employee of Hagopian went to police and told them that he had been asking around if anyone knew of someone who could help him with his scheme. Armed with his statement, police arrested Hagopian and charged him with filing a false police report, larceny over $250, auto insurance fraud, and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, as well as assault and battery and intimidation of a witness.

Police say that with Reyes testimony, as well as another witness, they will be able to make the Hagopian case stick. The Hagopian case brings to 225 the number of people who have been charged with auto insurance fraud over the last three years. They have been successful in using their task force to make those responsible for false auto insurance claims pay the price.

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