Case Results

Not long ago, a couple of local business owners found themselves in a very serious situation when their pizzeria was charged with felony insurance fraud. After a recent power outage, the proprietors filed a claim with their insurance carrier for the losses they incurred as a result. This is a fairly common practice, but apparently, when they submitted documentation from PECO about the incident, an error in the formatting of the document raised some concern by the insurance adjuster. Ultimately, their claim was denied based on the allegation that they altered information, and the case was referred to the District Attorney’s office for suspected fraud.

Even though the owners had no prior criminal record and no clear criminal intent, they were charged with felony insurance fraud and looking at the real possibility of jail time. To deal with the situation, they contacted Philadelphia criminal defense attorney Michael Fienman. There was a significant amount of relevant documents produced in this case, and ultimately, attorney Fienman demonstrated to the prosecutor and detectives that the alleged fraud stemmed from a miscommunication between the parties.

This eventually allowed attorney Fienman to resolve the matter with the owners’ acceptance into the ARD program for which Felony crimes are generally excluded. Upon completing the 12-month ARD probation obligation, the charges were expunged from the owner’s record, and they were free to resume their lives and business without fear of a felony conviction.

The outcome of an individual case depends on a variety of factors unique to that case. Case results do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any similar or future case.