5 charged in insurance fraud scheme

Four New Port Richey residents have been arrested as co-conspirators to a claim adjuster's scheme to defraud Zurich Insurance Group out of more than $240,000, authorities say.

Scott Addison Kincaid, 43, twins Anthony Michael Kneifer and Brian Frederick Kneifer, 26, all of 6331 Harrison St.; and Tricia Ann Allen, 27, of 5930 Gulf Drive, were arrested Sunday on charges of grand theft and conspiracy in connection to the alleged scheme. None of them works in the insurance industry.

Claims adjuster Donald Alfred Toohey III, 30, of 2340 Sabastian St., Mount Dora, was arrested on charges of grand theft over $100,000 and conspiracy.

All five turned themselves in over the weekend, said Jennifer Hirst, spokeswoman for the Florida Division of Insurance Fraud.

They have all posted bail and been released from the Land O' Lakes Jail.

Toohey, Hirst said, was the mastermind behind the ploy. He first approached Kincaid and then the others came on board, Hirst said.

"We received a tip on Toohey with concerns that he may be committing fraudulent acts," she said.

After the tip in September, an investigator determined that Toohey, who worked in the agency's Tampa office before moving to Orlando, had fabricated 26 claims from August 2004 through June.

He would create fraudulent files, leading to reimbursement to the co-conspirators for either injuries to themselves or damage to their vehicles, fraud division officials said.

None of Toohey's co-conspirators had legitimate policies with Zurich Insurance. Some of the claims Toohey used originally were legitimate, Hirst said, but he added an additional claimant, making them fraudulent. Others were completely bogus claims, she added.

Checks were written to Kincaid, the Kneifer twins or Allen for amounts ranging from $8,800 to $67,000, authorities said.

"Part of the deal was to give Toohey a portion of the money they would receive," Hirst said.

Division of Insurance Fraud officials are seeing more jobs done from the inside, Hirst said.

"We are seeing an increase in activity involving claims adjusters," she said. "We know it's going on; we're on top of it. We're looking very deep into the situation."

Because of the multicounty connection in the case, the Office of Statewide Prosecution is handling it. If convicted, each defendant faces up to 15 years in prison.