Greenville Insurance Fraud Defense Lawyer

When you are accused of insurance fraud, it can impact your reputation, finances, and freedom. These charges often affect you and your loved ones in many ways. You need a skilled and competent Greenville insurance fraud defense lawyer to help protect your rights and aggressively fight these allegations.

At the Law Office of Bill Nettles, our experienced white-collar defense attorneys have helped accused clients beat these allegations, secure their freedom, defeat charges, and even have cases dismissed. A combination of Bill Nettles’ robust experience as a former U.S. Attorney in South Carolina and our legal team’s combined 60+ years of experience plays a significant role in the successful defense of insurance fraud charges.

What Are the Various Categories of Insurance Fraud?

Two broad categories of insurance fraud exist: hard and soft insurance fraud. The category of your charges often determines the severity of your punishment if indicted. Common types of insurance fraud that may attract serious penalties include:

• Homeowner’s or property insurance fraud, including arson, disaster fraud, and exaggerating losses to receive higher insurance payments
• Life insurance fraud, such as staging a death, forging a death certificate, or planning someone’s demise to collect on their life insurance policy
• Auto insurance fraud, including staged crashes, evading insurance premium rates, false claims of being a passenger in a crash, and false vehicle theft claims
• Workers’ compensation fraud, such as filing an insurance claim for a fake injury, claiming for injuries sustained outside of work, or collecting disability checks from an employer while working elsewhere
• Health insurance fraud, including billing for phantom procedures or billing for unnecessary treatments or medications, and medical identity theft, where someone steals another’s identity for the purpose of getting treatment using their insurance coverage

Our defense attorneys have experience working with Greenville clients across all categories of insurance fraud, and we can assist you with your charges as well.

Consequences of an Insurance Fraud Conviction

South Carolina Code § 38-55-170 outlines the penalties for insurance fraud, which range from minor misdemeanors to felony convictions. Examples include:

• Intentional auto crashes: Up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 monetary fine
• False insurance claims of up to $10,000: Fines of up to $10,000 and a three-year prison sentence
• Insurance fraud valued at up to $50,000: Up to the same value in monetary fines, up to five years’ imprisonment, or both
• Fraudulent claims that exceed $50,000: Up to $100,000 in monetary fines and up to 10 years in prison

Additionally, all assets or property acquired through the fraudulent scheme may be seized, and you may be compelled to pay back every cent, as well as suffer reputational damage. Once convicted, you will have a criminal record that interferes with your civil liberties, which means you will not be able to hold public office, own a gun, or vote in elections.

A charge does not automatically mean a conviction or that you are guilty. It is possible for innocent mistakes to lead to fraud charges. Let an experienced insurance fraud attorney from our Greenville team fight for your right to a second chance and explore ways to challenge your allegations.

Call a Greenville Defense Lawyer About Your Insurance Fraud Case

Although insurance fraud is a common white-collar crime, a conviction can still turn your life upside down. It can ruin professional and personal relationships and reputations far into the future. Do not take any chances by trying to navigate this without assistance.

A highly experienced Greenville insurance fraud defense lawyer from the Law Office of Bill Nettles could fight for your freedom, protect your rights, and explore creative ways to have the allegations dismissed. Call our team today to discuss your case.