14 ARRESTED IN FRAUD STING.Byline: Dawn Yoshitake Daily News Staff Writer State insurance investigators arrested 14 individuals - including doctors, lawyers and office workers - in a fraud sting Tuesday, capping a two-year investigation that included the arrest of a North Hollywood chiropractor chiropractor a practitioner in chiropractic. chiropractor A health professional trained in chiropractic; chiropractors do not perform surgery or prescribe drugs; of 50,000 licensed chiropractors in the US, many practice 'straight' chiropractic, ie suspected of being a major player. Clifford Glassman, who operates a chiropractic chiropractic (kīrəprăk`tĭk) [Gr.,=doing by hand], medical practice based on the theory that all disease results from a disruption of the functions of the nerves. office at 4426 Lankershim Blvd., was arrested on suspicion of insurance fraud and receiving illegal referrals, said Candy Miller a spokeswoman for the Department of Insurance. Glassman's bail was set at $500,000. The sting operation Noun 1. sting operation - a complicated confidence game planned and executed with great care (especially an operation implemented by undercover agents to apprehend criminals) began in San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , when investigators with the state Department of Insurance and San Diego Police Department The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) is the primary law enforcement agency for the city of San Diego, California. Established on May 16, 1889, the first chief of police was Joseph Coyne. The current police chief is William Lansdowne. opened a business under the name of South Bay Marketing, said Miller. Undercover agents posed as ``cappers,'' who would refer workers' compensation workers' compensation, payment by employers for some part of the cost of injuries, or in some cases of occupational diseases, received by employees in the course of their work. and auto accident cases to doctors, chiropractors and lawyers for a fee. ``It's illegal to cap and often it serves as a building block to insurance fraud,'' Miller said, noting insurance fraud is an annual $3.5 billion business in California. ``The investigation spread to Los Angeles and we got a big person with Glassman. Ten undercover agents went through his office and the same thing happened to all of them,'' she said. In one case, Glassman allegedly billed State Compensation Insurance Fund The State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF or State Fund) is a workers' compensation insurer that is operated as a public enterprise created by the U.S. state of California. for 63 treatments for a single patient whom he saw only twice, officials said. Two office assistants in Glassman's office were also arrested. Jeanette Rodriguez and Marianne Vega were arrested on suspicion of insurance fraud and receiving illegal referrals, officials said. Calls to Glassman's office were not returned. Two Valley attorneys were also arrested. Betty S. Chain, a Sherman Oaks attorney, and Fredrick Nameth, a Glendale attorney, were arrested for allegedly receiving illegal referrals, officials said. Calls to their offices were not returned. State Fund assisted investigators by contacting employers who agreed to verify the workers' compensation claims and their status as employees. ``State Fund is keeping its commitment to California's employees, employers and the Legislature to fight fraud and other abuses of the system,'' said Donna Gallagher, the company's Fraudnet program coordinator. |
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