SHREVEPORT, La. - United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that six defendants pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on Monday, the day trial was set to begin. The following defendants pleaded guilty to fraud charges related to an automobile accident insurance fraud scheme:
Bobby Lee Kimble, 42, of Athens, La., pleaded guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud, and health care fraud;
Joe Abbott, 54, of Arcadia, La., pleaded guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud, and health care fraud;
Marcus Kimble, 30, of Arcadia, La., pleaded guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud, and health care fraud;
Damario Henderson, 29, of Homer, La., pleaded guilty to conspiracy and health care fraud;
Monica Jenkins, 25, of Athens, La., pleaded guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud, and health care fraud; and
Larry Kimble, 33, of Athens, La., pleaded guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud.
The members of the ring conspired to stage and fabricate automobile accidents and submit fraudulent claims to insurance companies for bodily injury and property damage. The “Kimble Ring," which was composed of family, friends and associates, staged accidents including two automobile rear-end collisions, single automobile collisions with trees, and false hit and run claims. False claims were filed for accidents in Bienville Parish; Ruston, La.; Athens, La.; and Claiborne Parish between December 2007 and March 2008.
The group faces up to five years in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit fraud. They face 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release for health care fraud, up to 20 years in prison and three years supervised release for wire fraud, and up to 20 years in prison and two years supervised release for mail fraud. The charges also each carry a $250,000 fine and restitution. Sentencing dates of November 13 and 14 of 2013 were set for the defendants.
“This group was motivated by greed and their goal was to get as much money as possible by defrauding insurance companies out of thousands of dollars," Finley stated. “Their actions placed unnecessary burdens on the local insurance system by causing money and time to be misspent on false claims. This office will continue to prosecute these types of cases to the fullest extent of the law."
The Louisiana State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Earl M. Campbell prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
