Two former law enforcement officials will serve time behind bars for a scheme to defraud an insurance company, and that stiff consequence is appropriate.
Kevin Guillot was a sergeant with the New Orleans Police Department when he filed a false claim with Progressive Insurance in June 2011 saying that his Ford F-250 had been stolen from a Jefferson Parish boat launch while he was out fishing.
His motive, according to a federal investigation, was to avoid paying for engine problems he was having with the truck. The plan was to claim something happened to the engine while the truck was out of his possession.
The scam proved far more costly than any repair bill. Mr. Guillot and his accomplice, Daniel Spears, who was then a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's deputy, both lost their jobs and will now lose their freedom. Mr. Guillot was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance to 11 months in prison, and Mr. Spears to six months. Mr. Guillot's nephew, Anthony Venezi, was sentenced to a year of probation for lying to officials to back up his uncle's story.
All three entered guilty pleas.
The damage was even more grievous for another accomplice, Salvadore Battaglia, who worked under Mr. Guillot at the NOPD. He filed a phony report saying that the truck had been recovered. He committed suicide shortly after news broke about the investigation.
Defrauding an insurance company is a serious crime in itself, but Mr. Guillot and Mr. Spears used their law enforcement positions to execute the scam. That's a betrayal of the public trust. Their sentencing should send a strong message that abuse of power will not be tolerated.
Source: http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2012/08/police_officers_pay_price_for.html
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