Press Release  Salem Man Indicted for Insurance Fraud Scheme

Salem — A Salem man was indicted in connection with a scheme to set up a shell company to fraudulently collect benefits under a long-term care insurance policy, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

Benjamin Johnson, 47, of Salem, was indicted by a Statewide Grand Jury on Monday for Larceny over $250 by False Pretenses (1 count) and Fraudulent Insurance Claim (1 count). He will be arraigned in Essex Superior Court at a later date.

The AG’s Office alleges that between March 2016 and January 2017, Johnson operated a shell home health care company called White Shores Home Health. Using this company, Johnson collected money from John Hancock Life Insurance Company by billing them for treatment not rendered under his father’s long-term care insurance policy. Johnson allegedly stole over $45,000 by claiming he was his father’s health care aide, when in fact he failed to provide care to his father.

These charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Johnson was previously indicted in 2018 on charges in connection with elder abuse of his father. That case is pending before Essex Superior Court and is being prosecuted by the Essex District Attorney’s Office.

AG Healey’s Insurance and Unemployment Fraud Unit works to protect consumers and the integrity of the insurance system by investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against all types of insurers, including the state’s unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation systems.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Dan Jimenez and Investigator Michelle Silva of the AG’s Insurance and Unemployment Fraud Unit and Victim Witness Advocate Megan Murphy. The Massachusetts Insurance Fraud Bureau, the Salem Police Department, and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office provided assistance to this investigation.
 

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