Being taken into custody for fraudulent activity in Minnesota can understandably be unsettling. Fortunately, those accused of fraud have the right to defend themselves vigorously in criminal court. Several types of fraud charges are possible, with one of them being insurance fraud.
Insurance fraud essentially involves making false claims to insurance companies. For instance, perhaps an individual claims that a certain item was stolen or lost, even though this is untrue. Another example is attempting to get an injury suffered during vacation covered by an employer’s workers’ compensation.
In Minnesota, the penalties for attempting to defraud an insurance company can be relatively strict. For instance, the penalty can be over 20 years behind bars plus a fine as high as $100,000 for a defrauded amount totaling $35,000. Meanwhile, the penalty may be a decade in prison and a fine as high as $20,000 for those stealing between $5,000 and $35,000 in insurance money. Five years or less behind bars and a fine of $10,000 or less can be expected for those who steal $5,000 or less.
Those accused of fraud have the right to go to trial, where prosecutors must prove their charges beyond a reasonable doubt before a conviction can happen. Alternatively, an accused individual may seek to negotiate a plea deal, as this might lead to a lighter sentence than what would be imposed following a guilty verdict at trial. A criminal law attorney in either situation will push for the best outcome for the client given the circumstances surrounding his or her case in Minnesota.
Source: findlaw.com, “Minnesota Insurance Fraud Laws“, Accessed on May 12, 2018