‘Trip and fall’ Ring Lands in Court

This past Friday the 13^th proved to be a very unlucky day for a Milwaukee woman as she was charged in federal court for her alleged participation in a fraud ring known for faking falls in order to obtain insurance settlements .

 According to the Journal Sentinel, Michelle Taylor, 42, made her first appearance in federal court on a charge for mail fraud.

 “Between 2007 and 2009, Taylor and a ring of people submitted about 65 fraudulent insurance claims, seeking reimbursement for false medical claims from Zurich American Insurance Company, which provides insurance to Menards and other stores in southeastern Wisconsin, according to the criminal complaint.”

 “Investigators from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service found that identical medical invoices were used for several claims; the names were simply changed, the complaint said.”

According to court documents, federal investigators also produced a video from the Menards in Kenosha, where a woman who is alleged to be part of the ring is walking through the department store and suddenly has a seat on the floor. She subsequently claimed that she had a trip and fall at that location and filed a claim for personal injuries. Apparently the only “accident” that this woman had was not realizing that the store’s security cameras were rolling and that no “fall” actually occurred.

Taylor remains behind bars and according to court documents her probation for a previous charge of “writing bad checks” has been revoked.  No other individuals have been charged in this case as of yet. However, it appears as though others may eventually be charged in this “ring” that federal investigators say attempted to collect over $200,000 from Zurich American Insurance Company in fraudulent claims.