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Pocono News Section
Local Woman Charged With Fraud
Local Woman Charged With Fraud - Wednesday, September 12, 2007 at 6:17PM EST
Reported by: Jill Konopka
Wednesday, Sep 12, 2007 @06:17pm EST
(KINGSTON, Luzerne County
)
Northeast Pennsylvania’s Insurance Fraud Task Force was on the move Wednesday filing charges against a Scranton woman.
Detectives accuse her and her husband of trying to cheat the system. Investigators tell WBRE News they make at least one, possibly two arrests a month for insurance fraud.
On Wednesday morning that task force arrested a local woman they say intentionally injured herself in a failed attempt to seek damages.
38-year-old mother of three, Reina Harth is under arrest for insurance fraud and criminal conspiracy. Gene Talerico is Lackawanna County’s First Assistant District Attorney, "Here it's strange, because we didn't get a call from the insurance company, and initially we got it from someone on the phone."
Prosecutors first heard from Harth's neighbor in Scranton, who claims the defendant was making light of a faked injury in July of 2006.
Talerico added, "What caught her is her own mouth. She had indicated to some people she was going to get a windfall because she had an accident that didn't occur and she was going to get insurance money."
Investigators say it happened at this former A.J. Wright store in Edwardsville.
Harth and her husband were shopping here, when she says she picked up a vase and in the process the lid fell off, hitting her in the face and nose.
A claim was filed with the store and it's insurance carrier.
But, lawyers say the couple concocted the scheme to collect damages.
Gene Talerico declared, "He's going to be charged as well, in essence as a conspirator with regard to the charges that both agreed to act out this plan."
A plan First Assistant Lackawanna County District Attorney Gene Talerico says affects everyday people.
Talerico explained, "Part of the reason why people pay such high insurance prices is because fraud is so prevalent, only way to stop it is to hold people accountable for their behaviors and punish them."
In court, Harth called the incident a mistake.
In the past, she's been charged with retail theft and disorderly conduct.
Harth now faces up to 15 years behind bars if convicted.
She also faces a charge of filing a false report to police.
Harth was not jailed, rather ordered to re-appear in court on September 20th
WBRE News later spoke with her at her home. She says this is nothing more than a personal vendetta launched by some of her neighbors. | | |
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