Victorville woman pleads guilty to defrauding AIG of $1.4M

SANTA ANA — A Victorville woman pleaded guilty today to conspiring to steal more than $1.7 million from American International Group Inc. and another insurer by illegally setting liens on workers' compensation insurance claims.

Cara Cruz-Thompson's sentencing date was set for May 7 because she will have served a year in custody by then and will be freed according to the terms of her plea deal with prosecutors, her attorney Brian Neal Gurwitz said.

Three other defendants, Rene Montes, 42, of Riverside; Hector Porrata, 45, of Moreno Valley, and George Martinez, 43, of Apple Valley are still awaiting trial.

Cruz-Thompson, 47, pleaded guilty to 19 counts of theft exceeding $150,000, 11 counts of grand theft, 10 counts of filing false or fraudulent claims, one count of conspiring to commit a crime and admitted 20 sentencing enhancements for the commission of two or more related felonies involving fraud or embezzlement and taking between $100,000 to $500,000, according to court records.

Cruz-Thompson became caught up in the conspiracy when she married Porrata, Gurwitz said.

"She is looking forward to divorcing him as quickly as possibly and hopefully never seeing him again,'' Gurwitz said, adding they had a "very manipulative and abusive relationship and this is the last chapter in it.''

When charges were filed last year, prosecutors alleged the four met while working at a claims adjusting firm.

Montes later owned W.C. Surgery Centers in La Habra and W.C.S.C. & Associates in Riverside, and Porrata and Cruz-Thompson worked at Matrix Absence Management, a workers' compensation insurance company.

Porrata, Cruz-Thompson and Martinez later worked together as workers' compensation insurance adjusters at AIG, according to Orange County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Farrah Emami.

Between August 2003 and January 2006, the defendants allegedly conspired to commit insurance fraud and grand theft by settling claims through the insurance companies with Montes' business for liens he did not have the authority to collect, Emami said.

When a claim is filed, doctors and hospitals can put a lien on the claim to ensure payment by the insurance company, Emami said.

These doctors and hospitals can negotiate the lien or have a third party do it on their behalf. The four are accused of negotiating such liens, Emami said.

Montes sent more than 50 letters to Matrix and AIG, claiming he had authority through W.C.S.C. & Associates to negotiate, settle and collect payment on pending liens on behalf of doctors and hospitals, Emami said.

Knowing the claims to be false, Porrata, Martinez and Cruz-Thompson allegedly settled Montes' claims and paid him more than $1.4 million from AIG and $310,000 from Matrix, Emami said.

Montes is accused of failing to file tax returns on his fraudulent income, Emami said.

On Feb. 2, 2007, AIG received a demand letter from a hospital for payment of an outstanding medical lien, which AIG determined had already been paid to Montes, Emami said.

AIG conducted an internal audit and discovered that Porrata, Martinez and Cruz-Thompson were the only three claims adjusters in the entire company to have settle liens with Montes and reported it to Orange County prosecutors and the California Department of Insurance, Emami said.

"If prosecutors want (Cruz-Thompson) to cooperate she'll be happy to do so,'' Gurwitz said.