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Woman who claimed mom, daughter and husband died gets 10 years for insurance fraud
Chicago Tribune ^ | September 7, 2011 | Clifford Ward

Posted on 09/08/2011 7:48:38 AM PDT by ConservativeStatement

During the six months that Bridgette Buckner worked for a health insurance administrator, her daughter and grandmother died, she was injured in a workplace accident and her husband, an FBI agent, was killed in the line of duty.

It was a string of horrible events that was almost unbelievable. And, as it turned out, totally untrue.

DuPage County Judge John Kinsella on Wednesday sentenced Buckner to 10 years in prison for defrauding her employer by filing false death claims and collecting insurance on her company’s policy.

The judge imposed the sentence after listening to testimony that the former Bartlett resident pulled the same scam at a previous employer and also was involved in identity theft.

“It’s clear that Bridgette Buckner is a con artist, a fraud,” Assistant DuPage County State’s Atty. Helen Kapas told the judge. “She’s a thief.”

Buckner, though, was not in court and remains at large, officials said. She pleaded guilty earlier this summer to insurance fraud but failed to appear when she was scheduled to be sentenced in August.

(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: buckner; fraud; insurance; scam
Reminds me of an episode of M*A*S*H when Klinger tried to get discharged by Section 8 claiming "half the family is dead and the other half is pregnant."
1 posted on 09/08/2011 7:48:40 AM PDT by ConservativeStatement
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To: ConservativeStatement

I thought you would have to have a certified death certificate to file a claim/life insurance?


2 posted on 09/08/2011 7:55:07 AM PDT by momtothree
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To: momtothree

Someone was duped on the matter.

Also, the headline mentions “mom” but the lead paragraph states “grandmother.”


3 posted on 09/08/2011 8:00:26 AM PDT by ConservativeStatement (Obama "acted stupidly.")
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To: ConservativeStatement

How do you collect without a death certificate? She must have forged one.


4 posted on 09/08/2011 8:01:30 AM PDT by svcw (iphone 5 release date late October - rats)
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To: momtothree

She worked there as an admin. She probably was able to check the ‘death certificate submitted’ box on her computer screen.


5 posted on 09/08/2011 8:03:28 AM PDT by proxy_user
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To: ConservativeStatement

Hmmmmmm... guilty of all that is wrong with some in our society.

6 posted on 09/08/2011 8:07:10 AM PDT by corkoman (Steadfast and Loyal)
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To: proxy_user

“She probably was able to check the “death certificate submitted” box...”

Okay.. I understand it now. I just remember helping relatives when a family member passed. The funeral home always requested 8 or 10 certified forms for insurance claims, etc... Many times, they ended up having to request even more.


7 posted on 09/08/2011 8:16:11 AM PDT by momtothree
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To: corkoman

how do people learn to do this?....you hear all the time about false SS numbers....false id’s....how do people learn to do that stuff?


8 posted on 09/08/2011 8:44:48 AM PDT by cherry
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To: cherry

“how do people learn to do this?....you hear all the time about false SS numbers....false id’s....how do people learn to do that stuff?”

The power of the internet! Back when I was younger, you had to either go to the library or use your modem to dial in to a bulletin board in order to learn how to make fake ids. Now you can just google it.


9 posted on 09/08/2011 9:43:20 AM PDT by Boogieman
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To: ConservativeStatement

How could they figure this out in Chicago?

The dead have been voting there for over 35 years.


10 posted on 09/08/2011 11:32:39 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
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