Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor today announced that two women were indicted for allegedly submitting dozens of fraudulent claims to Aflac for medical treatment that they did not receive.

Hassanah Todd, 33, of Newark, N.J. and Shirell Todd, 32, of High Point, N.C., were indicted on second-degree conspiracy, second-degree insurance fraud, third-degree theft by deception, and fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records.

The indictment was returned by a grand jury on May 12, 2022.

The grand jury indictment alleges that between June 1, 2017 and July 13, 2019, Hassanah and Shirell Todd conspired to commit insurance fraud in order to receive benefits that they were not entitled to from their insurance company, Aflac. The indictment further alleges that the defendants submitted, or caused to be submitted, claims forms, which included medical records that falsely claimed they received medical treatment or services when they did not.

The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. Third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000, and fourth-degree charges carry a sentence of up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Deputy Attorney General Amanda E. Nini presented the case to the grand jury for the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) under the supervision of Private Insurance Bureau Chief DAG Cheryl Maccaroni, Assistant Bureau Chief DAG Crystal Callahan, and Deputy Insurance Fraud Prosecutor AAG Al Garcia. The investigation was conducted by Detective Jessica Petri with assistance from Detective Kahlil McGrady and Detective Shaquan Worilds, under the supervision of Sergeant Wendy Berg and Lieutenant Kelly Howard of the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, along with Aflac’s Special Investigation Unit.

Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Tracy M. Thompson thanked Aflac for referring the matter to OIFP.

Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Thompson noted that many cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-877-55-FRAUD, or visiting the website at www.NJInsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit a reward to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution, and conviction for insurance fraud.

Defense Attorneys: Neither defendant is represented on these charges at this time.