Crime & Safety

Little Silver Man Admits to Filing Fraudulent Sandy Insurance Claim

A 73-year old resident pleaded guilty to third degree insurance fraud Monday in Ocean County Superior Court .

A Little Silver resident has pleaded guilty to filing a fraudulent insurance claim for property damages related to Superstorm Sandy, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced today.

Farouk Soliman, 74, pleaded guilty on Monday to third-degree insurance fraud before Superior Court Judge James M. Blaney in Ocean County.  

Sentencing is scheduled for May 30.  Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Soliman be sentenced to 364 days in jail as a condition of probation, officials said. 

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In his guilty plea, Soliman admitted that in November 2012 he submitted a fraudulent claim to Pacific Specialty Insurance Company for a barn he claimed was destroyed as a result of Superstorm Sandy.  

An investigation by the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor discovered that prior to the Oct. 29 storm, the barn had been condemned by municipal officials as being structurally unsafe. Soliman admitted that he attempted to recoup the cost of hiring a local demolition firm to raze the barn by submitting the fraudulent insurance claim.

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Detectives Kristi L. Procaccino, Megan Flanagan, Terrence Buie were assigned to the investigation. Deputy Attorney General Thomas G. Tresansky, Jr. represented the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor at the guilty plea.  

Assisting in the investigation was Pacific Specialty Insurance Company and the Borough of Red Bank Construction Code Office. 


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