Office of the Attorney General: Essex County Man Pleads Guilty To Stealing $13,700 In Disability Benefits

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

August 22, 2008

Contact: Division of Criminal Justice
609-292-4791


TRENTON - Attorney General Anne Milgram announced that an Essex County man pleaded guilty today to fraudulently collecting more than $13,000 in disability benefits to which he was not entitled.

According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden Brown, Basilio Barrett, 53, of East Orange, pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Michael A. Petrolle in Essex County to a criminal accusation charging him with third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree false swearing.

At the guilty plea hearing, Barrett admitted that between Nov. 9, 2006, and Aug. 13, 2007, he falsely claimed he could not perform his job as a service specialist for Public Service Electric & Gas Company. Barrett admitted that, as a result of the fraud, he received $13,754 from Public Service Enterprise Group, the entity which paid him the disability benefits.

Detective Christine Barclay and Deputy Attorney General Cheryl A. Maccaroni were assigned to the investigation into this case. Maccaroni represented the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor at the guilty plea hearing.

This case was referred to OIFP by the Public Service Enterprise Group, which initially uncovered the fraud and assisted OIFP in the investigation. Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Brown thanked Public Service Enterprise Group for its assistance in this matter.

The judge scheduled Barrett’s sentencing for Oct. 8.