A veteran New Brunswick firefighter was arrested Friday and charged with stealing $5,500 by filing false disability claims.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- A veteran city firefighter was arrested Friday and charged with filing false insurance disability claims that netted him $5,500, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey.
A veteran New Brunswick firefighter was arrested and charged with filing false insurance claims and collecting $5,500.Richard Patterson, 45, a 23-year veteran with the New Brunswick Fire Department, was charged with two counts of insurance fraud, two counts of theft by deception and 14 counts each of forgery and uttering a fraudulent insurance claim form.
Carey said Patterson was also charged with possession of prescription pills and attempting to defraud a drug test.
The prosecutor said an investigation determined that between Aug. 3, 2010 and Oct. 15, 2015, Patterson filed false insurance disability claims and forged the signatures of his physician and a superior officer in order to collect a total of $5,500.
The investigation was done by New Brunswick police Detective Thierry Lemmerling and county Detective Linda Infusino.
Patterson is free on $10,000 bail.
Public records show that Patterson's salary last year was $64,155.
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