Pasadena Man Sentenced in Nevada for Insurance Fraud

A Pasadena man was found guilty of seven counts of insurance fraud in Nevada and sentenced Wednesday to a suspended sentence of 28-72 months in the Nevada Department of Corrections, placed on probation and ordered to pay restitution and costs.

Authorities said that Na Var Derick Lee, 37, met women through the online dating service Plenty of Fish and convinced them to call in a false claim to their automobile insurance carriers. All of the false claims involved similar stories that the insured women hit Lee with their automobiles.

Lee allegedly told the women exactly what to say, called in the false claims as himself or as another person and submitted health care records for treatment in support of the false claims.

Lee utilized the scheme as a source of income and, ultimately, wrongfully obtained over $50,000, according to a statement released by the Nevada Attorney General’s office.

This case was investigated by multiple insurance companies, the National Insurance Crime Bureau, and the Nevada Attorney General Office’s Insurance Fraud Control Unit (IFCU). The IFCU prosecuted this case

“I’m proud of the team that brought Mr. Lee to justice,” said Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford. “My office will not tolerate bad actors who attempt to defraud the system for personal gain. I’d like to thank the National Insurance Crime Bureau and the insurance companies who helped with this investigation.”