Northeast man among
two charged with insurance fraud

An automated stolen vehicle recovery system helped authorities foil an alleged insurance fraud scheme by a Northeast Philadelphia man and an accomplice from Delaware, the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office reported on June 30.
Joseph Schmidt, 23, of the 3100 block of Knorr St., and Deon Joseph, 35, of New Castle, Del., were each charged with insurance fraud, attempted theft by deception, conspiracy and filing false reports.
According to Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, Schmidt owed Joseph $500, so the pair devised a plan to fake the theft of Schmidt’s 2005 Ford Explorer and to collect on the vehicle’s insurance policy.
On Jan. 28, Schmidt allegedly reported the bogus theft to Philadelphia police and his insurance company, Travelers. The claim was valued at about $14,000.
Police entered the Explorer’s vehicle identification number into the National Crime Information Center database, triggering automatic activation of the vehicle’s LoJack system.
LoJack emits a radio signal from within the vehicle that law enforcement agencies can detect and use to locate the vehicle.
New Castle police recovered Schmidt’s Explorer in Joseph’s garage on Jan. 29.
Both defendants were arraigned in Berks County, Pa., and freed on $25,000 bail. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for July 28. ••