Ariz. Fraud Suspect Arrested for Witness Tampering
On Dec. 13, 2002, James Kovacs was arrested in Tucson, Ariz. on an outstanding warrant charging him with witness tampering. The Pima County Fugitive Task Force arrested Kovacs who is now awaiting trial in Santa Cruz County Court for several felony counts involving fraudulent schemes, theft, and illegally conducting an enterprise. All charges arise out of a Arizona Department of Insurance fraud investigation.
The Department of Insurance began the witness tampering investigation after Fraud Unit investigators received information that Kovacs was contacting potential witnesses in an insurance fraud case. He allegedly had offered a witness monies in exchange for changing his/her testimony in court.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office filed insurance fraud charges against James Kovacs who was the manager of Newmans Auto Center in Nogales, Arizona. Charges include numerous insurance scams involving several insurance companies in the State. The investigation disclosed that between 1999 and 2001 Kovacs billed insurance companies for auto glass replacements that were never performed.
Policyholders were unaware that their insurance companies were being billed for glass replacements on their vehicles. They discovered the fraudulent claims when their insurance companies contacted them or, they found out about the claims when making routine inquiries about their policies. Some of the policyholders involved had never been to Newmans Auto Center. It was believed in some cases that insurance policy information on vehicles was stolen out of vehicles and the claims were then made without the policyholder’s knowledge.