BALTIMORE CITY POLICE OFFICER CONVICTED OF FELONY INSURANCE FRAUD

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that Baltimore City Police Officer Elijah Stevens, Jr. pleaded guilty to felony insurance fraud in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Officer Stevens, of the 6500 block of Pampano Drive in Glen Burnie, had been charged with submitting fraudulent documentation and statements to the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund in support of an insurance claim and attempting to steal approximately $5300.00 in insurance proceeds. The conviction follows a joint investigation conducted by the Insurance Fraud Division of the Maryland Insurance Administration and the Office of the Attorney General.

In a statement of facts presented by the prosecutor, the court learned that Stevens reported to the insurance company that an accident he was involved in occurred on February 12, 2004 instead of January 28, 2004. Stevens had not obtained automobile insurance with the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund until January 29, 2004. In support of his claim, Officer Stevens had also submitted a fraudulent police report written by another police officer that indicated that the accident occurred on February 12, 2004 and that the other driver was at fault. When confronted the other officer eventually admitted that he had falsified the report at Officer Stevens’ request.

The Honorable Allen L. Schwait sentenced Stevens to two years incarceration, suspended that sentence and placed Stevens on probation for a year.

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