May 30, 2013
Defendant Used Eight Aliases to Avoid Detection
Las Vegas, NV – Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto
announced that Mary Yonko, 48 of Las Vegas, entered a guilty plea of two felony
counts of insurance fraud today.
“Our office will continue to vigorously pursue insurance fraud in Nevada as a protection for Nevada consumers,” says Masto. “Insurance fraud harms all Nevada consumers through higher premiums that insurance carriers must charge to cover fraudulent claims.”
Yonko admitted in court to defrauding at least ten different businesses in the Las Vegas area from November 14, 2008 through December 26, 2009. Her common practice was to enter a business and wait until she was unobserved. She would then go to the ground and claim to witnesses she had suffered a fall to the floor and received injuries as a result of the fall. She would then file a claim with the store or its insurance carrier and request reimbursement for injuries she claimed to receive. Yonko was able to avoid detection by using different aliases and contact information for each claim, making identification difficult. Yonko’s aliases include Mary Call, Mary Fanners, Mary Saabs, Mary Mada, Mary DeFalco, Lisa Swift, Chanel Lee and Lisa Tops. As a result of this ongoing fraud Yonko was able to collect over $30,000 from the different businesses for injuries she claimed to have suffered as a result of the falls.
As part of the guilty plea Yonko will agree to repay $31,594 in restitution to the various businesses she received money from during her scheme, and could face up to 8 years in prison. She could also be placed on probation for a five year period and ordered to pay the restitution while under community supervision. Yonko will be sentenced on October 2, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. PT in Clark County District Court Department 25.
Yonko’s guilty plea came as the result of a lengthy joint investigation by the Insurance Fraud Unit (IFU) of the Nevada Attorney General’s Office and the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). NICB first investigated the case and brought it to the attention of the IFU, who conducted further investigation. The IFU at the Nevada Attorney General’s Office has primary jurisdiction over all insurance fraud that occurs within the State of Nevada.
This case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Brian Williams of the Insurance Fraud Unit.
Anyone who believes they know of insurance fraud being committed is encouraged to call 702-486-3420, or go the Nevada Attorney General’s Office website and fill out an insurance fraud complaint form.
MARY YONKO
|
 |
 |
(Photos courtesy of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
###