Lawyer Is Latest to Plead Guilty in $31M Trip-and-Fall Insurance Fraud Scheme

A New York lawyer pled guilty Monday in connection with a scheme to obtain millions of dollars in fraudulent insurance reimbursements and other compensation from fraudulent trip-and-fall accidents

Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Marc Elefant pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection the scheme.

Elefant is the third defendant to plead guilty this year. Two other defendants — Adrian Alexander, the owner of a litigation funding company, and Sady Ribeiro, a pain management doctor and surgeon — pled guilty earlier this year. Alexander pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in August. Ribeiro pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud in September.

All defendants pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein.

Elefant faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison. As part of his plea agreement, Elefant will forfeit $955,281 to the U.S. and to make restitution in the amount of $1,486,000. Elefant is scheduled to be sentenced on January 25, 2023.

According to the indictment, Elefant and others were involved in a scheme in which they defrauded businesses and insurance companies by arranging for staged trip-and-fall accidents throughout the New York City area and then filing fraudulent lawsuits.

In the course of the fraud scheme, participants recruited more than 400 patients. The defendants, together with others known and unknown, attempted to defraud the victims of more than $31,000,000.

The patients were encouraged and in some cases paid to receive ongoing chiropractic and medical treatment from certain chiropractors and doctors. Their legal and medical fees were usually paid for by litigation funding companies,

As part of their plea agreements, Ribeiro agreed to forfeit $513,005 and to make restitution in the amount of $3,928,133 while Alexander agreed to forfeit $659,001 and to make restitution in the amount of $3,928,133, according to officials.

Ribeiro is scheduled to be sentenced on January 5, 2023. Alexander is scheduled to be sentenced on November 30, 2022.

Three other members of the scheme were sentenced to prison terms in 2020.

Related:

• Three Members of $31.7M New York City Trip-And-Fall Scheme Sentenced to Prison
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• Fifth Member of $31M New York City Trip-And-Fall Scheme Arrested, Charged
• New York Surgeon Pleads Guilty to Participating In $31M Trip-and-Fall Fraud