Office of the Attorney General: Union County Woman Sentenced for $9,400 Disability Fraud

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

August 20, 2008

Contact: Division of Criminal Justice
609-292-4791


TRENTON - Attorney General Anne Milgram announced that a Union County woman was sentenced today for stealing more than $9,400 in disability insurance benefits by fraudulently claiming she was unable to work.

According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden Brown, Denise M. Muhammad, 45, of Linden, was ordered by Superior Court Judge Thomas P. Kelly in Mercer County to serve four years probation conditioned on 180 hours of community service and to pay $9,462 in restitution to the State of New Jersey. Muhammad was sentenced pursuant to her guilty plea to two counts of insurance fraud and one count of theft by deception. The charges were contained in a Sept. 13, 2007 Mercer County grand jury indictment.

At her June 10 guilty plea hearing, Muhammad, a former state employee who worked as a human services assistant at the Woodbridge Developmental Center, admitted that between July 2002 and July 2004, she stole $9,462 in disability insurance benefits by submitting fraudulent disability insurance claims and making false statements concerning her health and ability to work. Muhammad resigned from the job in July 2005 after being confronted over the alleged fraud.

Detective Abraham A. Aquino and Deputy Attorney General Cheryl A. Maccaroni coordinated the investigation. Maccaroni represented the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor at the sentencing.

Prosecutor Brown noted that some important cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline 1-877-55-FRAUD or visiting the Web site http://www.njinsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit an award to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance fraud.