Asbury Park Police Officer and Sister Indicted for Insurance Fraud
Prosecutor: Siblings Conspired to Pull Off a Medical Insurance Scheme
A Monmouth County grand jury has returned an indictment charging an Asbury Park police officer and his sister with insurance fraud, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced Monday.
Alix Antoine, 37, a 12-year veteran of the Asbury Park Police Department was suspended immediately following the June 2015 charges. A four-count indictment charges Antoine with the second degree crimes of official misconduct, conspiracy to commit official misconduct, insurance fraud, and the third-degree crime of tampering with public records.
Antoine’s 43-year-old sister Patricia Louis, also known as Patricia Antoine of Clifton, is charged with the second degree crime of conspiracy to commit official misconduct and insurance fraud, according to a news release.
From the news release:
The charges stem from an investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office that revealed Antoine, while employed as a member of the Asbury Park Police Department, filed false documents enabling his sister to obtain medical benefits she was not entitled to receive.
If convicted of Official Misconduct, Antoine faces a mandatory sentence of five years in a New Jersey state prison without parole and a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, with a statutorily mandated five-year period of parole ineligibility. He would also be under parole supervision for three years following his release from state prison.
If convicted of any of the second degree offenses, the siblings each face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison on each count. If convicted of the third degree offenses, each would face a sentence of three to five years in prison.
Antoine is currently free after posting $150,000 bail with no 10 percent option, as set by now-Appellate Court Judge Francis J. Vernoia, who was then the Presiding Judge of the Criminal Court in Monmouth County. Judge Vernoia also ordered Antoine to surrender his passport and all firearms. Patricia Louis was released on her own recognizance and also required to surrender her passport.
The case has been assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Lipp.
Antoine is represented by James Fagen of Freehold and Louis is represented by Thomas H. Martin of Red Bank.
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