Grand Rapids Insurance Fraud Lawyer

Insurance fraud is tricky because it’s easy to do without intention due to complicated insurance company policies and laws. So if you’ve been charged with insurance fraud, you need a skilled law firm that knows how to handle this delicate issue.

And White Law PLLC is the firm that can help. Our insurance fraud lawyer in Grand Rapids, MI, helps clients with their cases by explaining legal terms and building a personalized defense strategy.

How Michigan Defines Insurance Fraud

Michigan takes insurance fraud seriously and clearly outlines which actions could result in a criminal charge. If you’ve been charged with insurance fraud for any of the following actions, our Grand Rapids criminal defense lawyers can help you:

• Making false statements: Knowingly providing false information or making misrepresentations on an insurance application or claim is considered insurance fraud. This can include false statements about the circumstances of an incident, the extent of damages or injuries, or prior medical history.
• Staging accidents: Deliberately causing an accident, such as a car collision, with the intent to file fraudulent insurance claims is a form of insurance fraud. This may involve staging accidents, exaggerating injuries, or including false witnesses to support the fraudulent claim.
• Billing fraud: Engaging in fraudulent billing practices within the healthcare industry, such as submitting inflated or false medical bills to insurance companies, can be considered insurance fraud. As a medical professional, this includes overbilling patients for services they didn’t receive, billing for unnecessary procedures, or submitting claims for fictitious patients.
• Insurance premium fraud: Attempts to defraud insurance companies by providing false information to obtain lower insurance premiums or coverage can constitute insurance fraud. This may involve misrepresenting the nature of a business or property to secure lower rates or concealing relevant information that could impact premium calculations.
• Property insurance fraud: Intentionally causing or participating in arson or other property damage to collect insurance proceeds is a serious form of insurance fraud. This also includes falsely reporting property damage or theft to obtain insurance payouts.

Of course, there are many other types of insurance fraud you could be charged with. Our team of Grand Rapids insurance fraud attorneys can give you a free case consultation to determine if you have a valid insurance fraud defense case.

What Penalties Could You Face If Convicted of Insurance Fraud in Michigan?

According to Michigan’s Department of Insurance and Financial Services, insurance fraud is a felony. So if you were to be convicted, you could face up to four years in prison and pay up to $50,000 in fines.

In addition to these penalties, you may be required to do community service, pay back the people affected by the fraud, and give up your driver’s license and even any professional licenses you may have. For example, if a doctor billed clients for services they didn’t receive, the doctor could go to jail and be ineligible to practice in the healthcare sector ever again.

Our Grand Rapids insurance fraud lawyers understand how these penalties could affect your life, and that’s why we’re dedicated to helping you avoid conviction. We’ll build a comprehensive defense case to help you avoid these fines and prison time.

Why Is Insurance Fraud a Felony?

Insurance fraud is a white-collar crime which means it’s a non-violent crime. So it may seem odd that Michigan defines it as a felony regardless of whether it’s your first offense. However, there is a valid reason behind the penalty.

It’s a form of public corruption, and insurance fraud can cause significant issues in ordinary people’s lives, not just the insurance company. Also, if a person veers toward the extreme end of insurance fraud and intentionally causes an accident or commits arson, they’re endangering public safety, which is grounds for a felony offense.

Defending Against Insurance Fraud Charges in Grand Rapids

Our team at White Law PLLC has a long track record of helping people reduce their insurance fraud charges and even avoid conviction. Here are a few of the common defense strategies we could personalize and use to defend you:

Lack of Intent to Deceive

We can mount a strong defense by demonstrating that there was a lack of intent to deceive. Intent is a crucial element in proving insurance fraud. If we establish that you didn’t intend to deceive the insurance company or knowingly provide false information, it can significantly weaken the prosecution’s case. We could gather the following evidence to show your innocence:

• Emails
• Documents
• Witness testimonies
• Phone records

Furthermore, our Grand Rapids insurance fraud defense lawyer can uncover evidence that challenges the prosecution’s claims. Evidence could include inconsistencies in the insurance company’s investigation or prove alternative explanations for the alleged fraud. By presenting evidence, we’ll create doubt about your intent and raise reasonable doubt in the minds of the judge or jury.

The Claim Is Factual

We could also defend you by proving the factual basis of the claim. We’ll thoroughly investigate the alleged fraud’s circumstances and gather compelling evidence to support the claim’s veracity. This may involve conducting interviews, collecting documents, obtaining expert opinions, and analyzing available surveillance footage or other relevant materials.

By presenting this evidence in court, we’ll work to demonstrate that the claim is factual and that no fraudulent activity occurred, thereby challenging the prosecution’s case. In addition to gathering evidence, our defense lawyer can analyze the legal aspects of the case. We’ll scrutinize the policy terms, applicable laws, and regulations to identify any inconsistencies, ambiguities, or potential defenses.

Our team is ready to construct a persuasive argument that counters the prosecution’s allegations of fraud. Using factual evidence and legal analysis, we’ll fight to protect your rights, challenge the accusations, and avoid conviction.

The Prosecutor Obtained Evidence Illegally

The final defense we could use is challenging the admissibility of evidence obtained illegally by the prosecutor. We’ll identify any violations of your constitutional rights or procedural errors law enforcement committed during the investigation.

If we prove the prosecution obtained evidence illegally, such as an unlawful search or seizure, we can file a motion to suppress that evidence. This can significantly weaken the prosecution’s case and increase the chances of you avoiding penalties.

To do this, we’ll examine the circumstances surrounding the evidence collection, review police reports, interview witnesses, and consult with experts if necessary. By highlighting any misconduct or violations, we could show the illegal actions and prevent a conviction.

Choose Our Firm to Defend Your Grand Rapids Insurance Fraud Case

There are many things to keep track of in a Grand Rapids insurance fraud defense case. Don’t handle it alone; confide in White Law PLLC to take on your case with our experience and help you avoid penalties.

Our insurance fraud attorney in Grand Rapids, MI, is ready to give you a free case evaluation and start building your case. Call us today or fill out our contact form.