State Claims Investigator From Burlington County Made $75K In False Claims: Authorities

A claims investigator with the State Department of the Treasury who hails from Willingboro has been charged with stealing more than $75,000 by processing and/or approving fraudulent claims in the names of various relatives and friends, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said on Friday.

Stephanie Hargrove, 38, was charged by complaint-summons with second-degree theft by deception and third-degree tampering with public records or information.

Claims investigators process claims for damages filed against the departments or divisions of state government, including tort claims. Hargrove is a principal claims investigator for the Division of Risk Management, Porrino said. As such, she worked in a supervisory capacity overseeing other claims investigators. She also handled her own caseload. She has been suspended as a result of the charges, according to Porrino.

Hargrove is accused of using her official capacity to process or approve more than $75,000 worth of fraudulent claims, allegedly filed in the names of her relatives, friends and acquaintances. Further investigation revealed that proceeds from certain false claims went to Hargrove, Porrino said.

She is accused of submitting and/or processing false false supporting documents, as well as the false claims. The claims were for various damages.

For example, a number of claims involved false assertions that vehicles were wrongfully towed due to improper record keeping by the Motor Vehicle Commision. Others involved individuals claiming that foster children placed with them by the Department of Children and Families seriously damaged their homes.

The second-degree theft charge carries a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $150,000. Under New Jersey’s anti-corruption statute, it carries a mandatory minimum period of parole ineligibility of five years.

The third-degree tampering with public records charge carries a sentence of three to five years in prison, including a mandatory two-year period of parole ineligibility, and a fine of up to $15,000. Conviction of either charge also requires forfeiture of any public pension.

The attached image of Stephanie Hargrove was provided by the Attorney General’s Office