Personal Injury Attorney Charged in Fraud Ring

Her website reads, “”We pride ourselves on our honesty, integrity, detailed knowledge and real-world application of the law.” However, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office is alleging that this attorney, Susana Ragos Chung, 59, strayed from her creed and masterminded a fraud ring that has landed her in hot water. She is facing 28 felony counts in connection with the scheme. Her office manager, Ingrid Attillo, has also been charged in connection with the alleged scheme.

The fraud ring recruited drivers and passengers who said they had been involved in the accidents, prosecutors said. It also found an auto body shop that submitted bogus repair records and doctors who falsified medical documents, Blazer said.

Chung then submitted fraudulent claims to various insurance companies, prosecutors said.

Norberto “Chito” Mora was convicted of recruiting the fake accident victims and is serving an eight-year prison sentence, authorities said.

Chung paid Mora for the cases and then submitted claims on behalf of clients she had never met or even talked to, Blazer said. When confronted, many of these participants indicated that they “never even knew they had a lawyer,” Blazer said.

Many of the purported crashes weren’t documented in police reports. “Accidents” often happened at the same few locations and involved passengers who purportedly had to visit chiropractors far from their homes for treatment, authorities said.

Three chiropractors have been convicted of felony insurance fraud. Ninety-four other people have also been found guilty since 2006 of taking part in the scam, most of them fake accident victims, Blazer said.

In total, 94 people have been convicted in connection with this scheme since 2006. Injury mills such as these are real and very expensive to the insurance industry. Fortunately enough red flags went up to make the Alameda County authorities suspicious and take this ring down. Chalk one up for the good guys!