The arrest of a woman alleged of having committed insurance fraud brought the number of individuals charged for the same offense to 420 in the State of Massachusetts. According to reports made by the state’s Insurance Fraud Bureau, the lawsuit against Matilda Gabin is the latest in a string of crackdowns made by investigators since 2003.
Authorities reveal that Gabin was turned over by his former husband after the latter had “hounded” him into conspiring to make her car “disappear.” It turned out that Gabin, 28, wanted to buy a new car and desired to get rid of her 1999 Honda Accord.
In order to get a Nissan Murano, she allegedly schemed to file a stolen car report so she could get money from her insurer. Her husband, however, opposed to the idea. Afraid that his name might be included in the filing of a phony insurance claim and for staging a fake car theft, he reported the matter to the insurance company and then to the police. After the couple broke-up, Gabin went on with her plans and got herself somebody else to “steal” the vehicle.
In the course of the investigation, it was revealed that the incident is just a part of a series of forgery and falsifications made by Gabin. Investigators claim she continued to receive unemployment checks albeit the fact that she was employed in a company using her sister’s name. Sgt. Michael Simard of the Lawrence Police Department said that she was “beating the system” in more ways than one.
Instead of indicating her real address in Lawrence, Gabin used a post office box in Methuen, Massachusetts in order to avoid paying insurance premiums in a course of three years. As such, she was able to avoid paying more than $700. Simard, the lead investigator on auto insurance fraud, said that she shortchanged her insurer by lying about her address. But adding insult to injury is the fact that she managed to draw paychecks at the same time collecting unemployment checks from the government. As such, she was able to collect $125 more per week than what she was entitled to receive.
To date, Gabin would be facing two counts of auto insurance fraud. She would also be charged with filing a false police report, identity fraud, 13 counts of forgery by check, and larceny over $350. 13 counts for uttering forged check would also be instituted against her. On top of this, The Lawrence Housing Authority is currently undergoing investigation to find out whether the undocumented money she earned would adversely affect the status of her rent. The Division of Unemployment Assistance, on the other hand, is undergoing a process to recoup overpaid payments.
