San Francisco, CA – District Attorney George Gascón recently announced that Catherine Gregoire, age 52, of Hercules, CA, and Adela Delores Belfrey, age 52, of Oakland, CA were arrested on April 9, 2015 and charged with conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, false and fraudulent claims, claims adjuster fraud, grand theft by false pretenses, forgery, and money laundering. In addition, Belfrey is charged with two counts of identity theft.
Belfrey was arrested at her work in Pleasanton by investigators with the San Francisco District Attorney’s office, while Gregoire was simultaneously arrested by officers with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department on a plane arriving at the Oakland Airport from Los Angeles. “The workers compensation system protects employees who are injured on the job and need assistance to make ends meet,” said District Attorney George Gascón. “Undermining that system for personal gain jeopardizes this important protection for individuals who are truly in need.”
Gregoire, an ex-employee of Amtrust North America, is alleged to have created several shell companies under which she submitted a hundred and thirty-seven fraudulent invoices which Belfrey, a senior claims adjuster at AmTrust North America, is alleged to have secretly approved. Over an eight month period, Gregoire and Belfrey executed a scheme which resulted in over $528,058 of company funds being deposited into bank accounts controlled by Gregoire. According to court records, Gregoire paid $134,776 in cash for a 2014 Mercedes G 550 with funds that are alleged to have been fraudulently received from Amtrust North America. The vehicle was seized during the execution of the search warrant by District Attorney Investigators.
Belfrey is charged with fifteen felonies including conspiracy to defraud another, false and fraudulent claims, claims adjuster fraud, insurance fraud, grand theft of personal property by false pretenses, forgery, money laundering, and identity theft. Gregoire is charged with thirteen felonies, including conspiracy to defraud another, false and fraudulent claim, claims adjuster fraud, insurance fraud, grand theft of personal property by false pretenses, forgery, and money laundering.
The arrest of Gregoire and Belfrey is the result of an extensive investigation by Senior Investigator William Jespersen of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigations. Assistant District Attorney Dennis Chow is prosecuting the case.
Source: SF DA’s Office