Jackson, MS – The Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud Unit has made three recent arrests, in unrelated cases, for Insurance and Workers’ Compensation Fraud.
Alisa Lynn Nealy Salonica , 41, of Gulfport, has been arrested following indictment by a Marion County Grand Jury for two counts of workers’ compensation fraud. The indictment alleges that Salonica made “false or misleading statements or representations to Bridgefield Casualty Insurance Company, for the purpose of obtaining workers’ compensation benefits in that she did knowingly represent to Bridgefield Casualty Insurance Company that she was not receiving a secondary income while receiving workers’ compensation benefits in violation of Section 71-3-69, Mississippi Code of 1972, as amended”. Salonica is currently out on bond awaiting trial (date has not yet been set). If convicted, Salonica faces up to three years in prison on each count.
In an unrelated case, John Willis Steele, 41, of Byram, has been arrested following indictment on one count of false pretense by a Rankin County Grand Jury. Steel, doing business as (dba) Jay’s Express Courier Service, is alleged in the indictment to “willfully, unlawfully, feloniously, and with the intent to cheat and defraud, obtain money, in an amount greater than $500 from (the victim), by making false pretenses or representations that the money being withheld from the payroll check of (the victim) was for workers’ compensation insurance at a time the policy had been cancelled due to non-payment, knowing the pretenses or representations to be false”. If convicted, Steele faces up to 10 years in prison.
In yet another unrelated case, Issac Bernard Lee, 51, of Magnolia, has been arrested following indictment by a Pike County Grand Jury on two counts of workers’ compensation fraud. The indictment alleges that Lee “did willfully, unlawfully and feloniously make false or misleading statements or representations to Chartis Insurance Company , for the purpose of obtaining workers’ compensation benefits in that he did knowingly misrepresent to Chartis Insurance Company, that he was not receiving a secondary income while receiving workers’ compensation benefits.” Lee is currently out on bond awaiting trial. No date has yet been set. If convicted, Lee faces up to three years behind bars on each count.
As with all cases, the defendants are considered not guilty until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. These cases are being investigated by Christopher Watkins and Jerry Spell of the Attorney General’s Public Integrity Division/Insurance Fraud Unit and will be prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney General Larry Baker.
Source: MS Attorney