By: Tracie Carter
A Middlesex County man has been convicted of insurance fraud after prosecutors said he submitted a false insurance claim involving heavy equipment used in his tree removal business.
According to a statement released by the New Jersey Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, 49-year-old Andre Love of East Brunswick was found guilty of third-degree insurance fraud, attempted theft by deception, and fourth-degree falsifying records following a four-day trial in Middlesex County.
Authorities said Love, owner of Love’s Tree Removal, filed a claim with Markel Insurance in May 2021, alleging that a 1995 Caterpillar Wheel Loader had been damaged by an employee days earlier.
Prosecutors alleged that Love later submitted a repair invoice seeking more than $28,000 for transmission damage.
During the investigation, officials determined that Love had obtained an estimate for the same transmission damage on the same machine in April 2020—months before obtaining the insurance policy and more than a year before filing the claim.
Investigators found that both the 2020 estimate and the 2021 invoice contained identical meter readings and repair estimates.
Prosecutors further alleged that the owner of Monroe Repairs LLC confirmed the company never inspected the equipment for the claimed repairs and did not prepare the invoice submitted to the insurance company.
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said insurance fraud drives up costs for consumers and businesses, while Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Bernard Cooney credited cooperation between insurers and investigators for helping uncover the scheme.
Sentencing for Love is scheduled for a later date.