Insurance manager sentenced for false medical claims

An insurance claims manager who pocketed thousands of pounds from making fraudulent medical claims to his employer has been sentenced.

Michael Clegg processed the fake claims from three friends that led to payouts totalling £34,000 between December 2011 and April 2012.

The money obtained by Clegg was used to settle his online gambling debts.

He personally pocketed over £14,000, while his friends Mark Bibby, Adam Green and Stuart Walker took the rest.

The fraud was discovered when Clegg’s employer noticed inconsistencies in the payment to Walker and referred the case to the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED).

IFED detectives arrested Clegg and a junior member of his team in early 2013, along with Bibby, Green and Walker.

The investigation found that Clegg had overseen the completion of the computer transactions for the claims and the payments to his three friends.

DC Mick Jones, who led the investigation, said: “Clegg racked up £10,000 of gambling debts and then decided that his employer was going to be the one to foot the bill.

“To do this he concocted a fraud that saw him abuse his position of authority to ensure he and his friends picked up a substantial payout. Unfortunately for all four of them they, like so many before, were unable to cover their tracks and will now pay for their crime.”

Clegg was charged with, and later pleaded guilty to, fraud by abuse of position. He was given a two-year jail sentence suspended for two years at Manchester Crown Court on 30 January.

Bibby was given a four-month jail term suspended for 18 months, while Green was ordered to undertake 120 hours of unpaid work.

Walker is due to be sentenced at a later date.

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