The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
A Kingsberry Drive resident was indicted Aug. 27 on insurance fraud and forgery charges in connection with claims she allegedly made after Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
Sharon Fisher, 54, was indicted on two counts of 3rd Degree Insurance Fraud, two counts of 4th Degree Forgery and two counts of 4th Degree Uttering a Forged Instrument, according to a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
Fisher was charged on the counts in July, according to the release.
Fisher allegedly made an insurance claim to her homeowner’s insurance company, New Jersey Manufacturer’s Insurance, on Nov. 1, 2012, claiming that her basement flooded when a sump pump failed, according to the release.
The insurance company discovered that she’d made two previous claims for sump pump failure in 2011, for which she was reimbursed $10,000, according to the release.
The investigation revealed that the 2011 and 2012 claims reported similar damage, and the photographs submitted in those claims appeared to be the same, the release said.
Fisher also allegedly submitted two fake invoices – created on her computer – to support her 2012 claims, according to the release. Fisher allegedly used the name of a fictitious home improvement contractor with the address of a Bridgeton property she owns on one invoice, and the name of a plumber with a fictitious address in Vineland for another.
The insurance company advised Fisher that the invoices were fabricated, after which she withdrew her 2012 claim, according to the release.
Although she did not receive payment for the 2012 claims, state law allows insurance fraud charges against someone who simply submits a claim, according to the release.
