California

News: 2007 Press Release
For Release: November 8, 2007
Media Calls Only: 916-492-3566

Two Southern Californians Arrested for Work-Related Insurance
Fraud

LOS ANGELES/Today Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced
Monday's arraignment of one suspect and the arrest last month of
another suspect in separate, work-related insurance fraud cases.
"As consumers, we all pay about $500 per person for insurance fraud,"
said Commissioner Poizner. "It is not a victimless crime, and the message
to people thinking about committing fraud is - don't do it, you will be
caught."
On November 5, 2007, Trent Allen Sudbeck, 39, of Lake Forest, CA, was
arraigned in Orange County Superior Court on two counts of providing
false or misleading statements in support of an insurance claim; two
counts of prescription forgery; two counts of second degree commercial
burglary; and two counts of grand theft. If convicted on all 10 counts,
Sudbeck faces up to 50 years in state prison and/or a $500,000 fine. The
case is being prosecuted by the Orange County District Attorney's
Office.
Sudbeck was arrested on October 5, 2007, by the Orange County
Sheriff's Department during a traffic stop in Laguna Hills, CA.
On November 4, 1996, Sudbeck injured is lower back in an auto collision
while driving deposits to the bank for CSB Partnership (dba Big O Tires).
This injury was accepted as an industrial injury, so it was covered under
CSB Partnership's workers' compensation policy with Republic Indemnity
Company of America (Republic). Consequently, Republic was paying for all
Sudbeck's workers' compensation benefits, including one 30-day
prescription for the Oxycontin.
On April 29, 2006, Sudbeck obtained a prescription for 240 tablets of
Oxycontin from Cal-Med Pharmacy in Mission Viejo, CA, valued at $1,416,
by presenting a fictitious copy of a prescription script. Again, on June 2,
2006, Sudbeck obtained another prescription for 240 tablets of Oxycontin
from Cal-Med Pharmacy, valued at $1,416, by presenting a fictitious
copy of another prescription script. The fraudulent activity was
discovered by Republic in October 2006 and subsequently forwarded by
their Special Investigations Unit to the California Department of
Insurance (CDI).
In the second case, Gregory Allen Turner, 42, of Woodland Hills, CA, was
arrested on October 19, 2007, on 13 felony criminal charges - one count
of grand theft and 12 counts of insurance fraud. A search warrant for
Turner's residence was served concurrently with his arrest in an effort to
seize evidence further supporting the criminal complaint. If convicted on
all counts, Turner faces a maximum sentence of five years in state prison
and/or a $50,000 fine for each count, as well as court-ordered
restitution. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is
prosecuting the case.

In August 2005, the CDI Fraud Division received a referral from the
Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company (Hartford) alleging that
Turner misrepresented his physical limitations and work status to secure
long-term total disability benefits. A subsequent investigation by CDI
supported allegations that from October 2004 through February 2005
Turner fraudulently collected $23,800 in total disability benefits from
Hartford while simultaneously earning more than $16,000 at another job,
performing the same duties he claimed his disability prevented him from
doing at the first job.

Please visit the Department of Insurance Web site at
www.insurance.ca.gov. Non media inquiries should be directed to the
Consumer Hotline at 800.927.HELP. Callers from out of state, please dial
213.897.8921. Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDD), please
dial 800.482.4833.

http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/0060-200
7/release114-07.cfm