Police say that a Ridge man sold a fake insurance policy, bilking the victim out of $1,550.
According to police, on March 16th a customer called an independent insurance broker to set up a policy. Joseph Cawley, the broker, asked for money for the auto insurance but the victim did not receive any identification cards for the policy. It turns out that the policy never existed. The victim called police in late March and following an investigation, 7th squad detectives arrested the broker at his home in Ridge, at 1:38 pm on Monday, April 29th.
In 2023, a person of the same name and with the same address as Cawley was a defendant in a case against him brought by Acrisure, a company that provides a number of insurance products, for breach of contract. In that case, the defendant was ordered to pay more than $263,000 to the plaintiff, Acrisure.
The insurance broker, a 37-year-old-man from Ridge, was charged with grand larceny. He was issued a desk appearance ticket and is scheduled to be arraigned at 1st district court on a later date.
Anyone who believes they are a victim of the scam is asked to contact the 7th squad at (631) 852-8752.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Photo by Vlad Deep
