Eight obtain federal sentences over $1.2M scheme in opposition to journey insurance coverage firm

Eight individuals from throughout central Indiana had been sentenced to federal jail and probation for his or her roles in a $1.2 million journey insurance coverage fraud scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana introduced this week.

Investigators say the defendants had been liable for submitting 441 fraudulent insurance coverage claims, leading to $1,199,149.32 in losses to the insurance coverage firm.

“Fraud schemes of any kind erode trust in programs designed to protect people in times of need,” Tom Wheeler, U.S. legal professional for the Southern District of Indiana, mentioned in a press launch. “These defendants abused their positions and exploited legitimate insurance processes for personal gain, resulting in significant losses. Today’s sentences reflect our office’s commitment to holding accountable those who engage in coordinated, long‑running fraud and to protecting businesses and consumers from financial harm.”

According to court docket paperwork, defendant Jennifer Fleener, 60, initiated a scheme in 2016 to submit and approve fraudulent journey insurance coverage claims by her employer, Houston-based specialty medical group Tokio Marine HCC. The firm has a journey division within the Indianapolis space, WorldTrips, that sells short-term journey medical insurance coverage to people touring outdoors of the United States. In most instances, the court docket papers check with the corporate as T.M.

Fleener labored at WorldTrips from 2012 to 2021 as a case-management supervisor and claims handler and had detailed data of the corporate’s policy-issuance and claims-processing procedures.

Beginning in 2016, Fleener’s ex-husband, defendant Mike Fleener, 54, joined the scheme and recruited a number of people, a lot of whom lived within the Philippines. Investigators say Mike Fleener recruited defendant Jasmin Aldava Grimes, a Philippine nationwide, who bought journey insurance coverage insurance policies from the corporate utilizing her personal data and the knowledge of others. Grimes shared a portion of claims with each Mike and Jennifer Fleener and helped recruit people to the scheme as properly, in response to court docket paperwork.

In 2019, Jennifer Fleener expanded the scheme by recruiting fellow workers, their households and associates, together with auditor Asha Mimms, Mimms’s daughter Dasha Pearson, affiliate Amber McDaniel and former worker Jennifer Thompson, court docket paperwork state.

As a part of the scheme, Jennifer Fleener instructed the defendants to buy insurance coverage insurance policies for themselves and others, which she authorised with out secondary evaluation in her position with the corporate, in response to court docket paperwork. She allegedly obtained a share of the defendants’ payout checks from Tokio Marine.

The husband of Fleener’s niece, defendant Christopher Perdue, knowingly allowed his private data for use to get fraudulent insurance policies and submit false claims, receiving a portion of the kickbacks in return, in response to court docket paperwork. He additionally pleaded responsible to creating false statements and declarations earlier than a federal grand jury.

Each of the defendants was sentenced to the next and ordered to pay restitution:

• Jennifer Fleener of Indianapolis was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in jail with two years of supervised launch. She was ordered to pay $1,199,149.32 in restitution.
• Mike Fleener of Camby, Indiana, was sentenced to 4 years in jail with two years of supervised launch. He was ordered to pay $1,188,470.58 in restitution.
• Asha Mimms, 46, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to at least one yr and someday in jail with two years of supervised launch. She was ordered to pay $365,570.85 in restitution.
• Jasmin Aldava Grimes, 44, of Martinsville, was sentenced to a few years of probation. She was ordered to pay $788,321.14 in restitution.
• Jennifer Thompson, 45, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to a few years of probation. She was ordered to pay $604,745.12 in restitution.
• Amber McDaniel, 45, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 2 years of probation. She was ordered to pay $85,894.94 in restitution.
• Christopher Perdue, 38, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to a few years of probation. He was ordered to pay $89,403.49 in restitution.
• Dasha Pearson, 28, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 2 years of probation. She was ordered to pay $42,628.32 in restitution.