35-Year-Old Charged with Insurance Fraud, Theft, Theft by Deception and Forgery

Published on September 21, 2020

September 21, 2020

Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and Morris County Acting Chief of Investigations Chris Kimker announce that John G. Vincelli, age 35, of Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, has been charged with various Insurance Fraud and Theft related charges.

It is alleged that John Vincelli, who was an insurance producer, submitted an unauthorized application for a life insurance policy for his clients' two children without their authorization. The investigation revealed that Vincelli had been receiving a commission for the fraudulent policy and also performed unauthorized withdrawals from the victims' bank account to pay the premium for the fraudulent policies.

The investigation further revealed Vincelli had entered into a civil consent order in reference to a Sagicor Life Insurance Policy where Vincelli forged Insurance documentation. This documentation included Vincelli creating a policy amendment form and signing the victim's name after a better rate could not be obtained as promised to the victim. The victim provided a statement to Sagicor Life Insurance confirming that he did not sign policy forms and that the signature on an enclosed copy was not in fact his signature.

The defendant has been charged on a summons-complaint with the following offenses:

• 2 counts of Insurance Fraud, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:21-4.6A(2), a crime of the Third degree;
• 2 counts of Forgery, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:21-1a(2), a crime of the Third degree;
• 2 counts of Forgery-Uttering, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:21-1a(3), a crime of the Third degree;
• 1 count of Theft by Unlawful Taking, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:20-3a, a crime of the Fourth degree; and
• 1 count of Theft by Deception, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:20-4a, a crime of the Fourth degree.

Prosecutor Knapp would like to thank the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Specialized Crimes, Insurance Fraud Unit; Office of the Attorney General, Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor; New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance whose efforts contributed to the investigation of this case.

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, this defendant is presumed innocent until he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Inquiries concerning this press release should be directed to Public Information Officer Meghan Knab at mknab@co.morris.nj.us or by phone at 973-829-8159.