Lawyer takes plea in auto-insurance fraud scheme, gets probation
A Pennsylvania lawyer accused of playing a role in a fraud scheme that allegedly cost auto insurers millions of dollars has taken a plea.
Michael B. Wolf, 56, pleaded guilty Tuesday to insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. He was sentenced to two years of probation and must pay a $5,000 fine.
A former Philadelphia police officer and two insurance appraisers are still awaiting trial and other defendants previously pleaded guilty in the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court case. Prosecutors say it involves a four-year scheme in which individuals who had been in accidents were steered to an auto-repair business that provided inflated estimates.
Wolf was accused of advising the owner of University Collision Centers and participating in bogus personal-injury claims. An earlier Philadelphia Inquirer article provides additional details about the scheme, which allegedly involved kickbacks paid by the repair shop.
Wolf’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment by the newspaper.
