Insurance

A Costa Mesa woman could be sentenced to more than four years in jail if convicted of helping her co-workers defraud insurance companies out of thousands of dollars, according to county prosecutors. Lam Thi Nguyen, 37, was arrested last week on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a crime and one misdemeanor of practicing law without authorization after district attorney investigators conducted an undercover operation to find professionals suspected of defrauding insurance companies.

UC Irvine economics professor David Neumark has won a share of $2.3 million from the National Cancer Institute to research the health effects of work-based medical insurance on women with breast cancer. The study will compare the choices of employed, married women with recently diagnosed breast cancer who have employee-contingent health insurance to those with spouse-sponsored insurance. With his $350,000 share of the grant, Neumark is teaming up with Cathy Bradley of Virginia Commonwealth University to research if women forgo cancer treatment because of work and its implications on their health.

COSTA MESA — Ears perked up last month when city officials mentioned during a City Council budget study session that Costa Mesa had made a $6 million settlement related to a car crash. Residents, workers and the usual council critics wondered when the settlement was reached, who was involved, and why they hadn't heard about it. Critics claimed the city was spending money while it looked to lay off workers, a claim the city rebutted earlier this week. The settlement, it turns out, was reached more than a year ago and didn't affect this year's budget.

Lolita Harper COSTA MESA -- The lawsuit that single-footedly brought a halt to the 57-year tradition of the Fish Fry will have its day in court next month. Mike Scheafer, the president of the Costa Mesa Newport Harbor Lions Club, said Lions Club and Coast Community College District lawyers will face off in a Santa Ana courtroom to argue who should be liable for an Irvine woman's ankle injury. The court date is set for 8 a.m. May 13 in Orange County Superior Court.

Costa Mesa firefighters will buy much-needed equipment for firefighting, training and their Community Emergency Response Team thanks to a grant from a firefighters’ insurance company, officials said. The Costa Mesa Fire Department received a $12,919 grant from the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company in combination with Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services. City officials said they will buy forcible entry training props and technical rescue equipment, among other tools.

Readers have made the point that critics of Obama’s health-care reforms should offer an alternate or better plan. While you may not want to read the entire 1,018 pages of House Resolution 3200 — perhaps this condensed version of an alternate plan might be more palatable. For clarification, this writer is a retired physician and makes zero income from medical practice. Let’s support reforms that:  Improve the quality of care by encouraging innovation.

This letter is written in response to your editorial ("Drop the lawsuit against the city," Thursday) asking why Orange County Dyke March and the Center Orange County need to go forward with the lawsuit against Costa Mesa when the city has withdrawn many of the conditions. While we are pleased to have reached an agreement with the city to let the march go forward without most of the burdensome conditions the city wanted to impose, the lawsuit is still necessary to protect our constitutional rights.

NEWPORT BEACH - Righty against lefty, junior against freshman. The Battle of the Bay softball game turned into a pitcher's duel Thursday at Bonita Creek Park. Newport Harbor junior Hattie Marshall and Corona del Mar freshman Sydney McKeown matched each other nearly pitch for pitch. Newport-Mesa Girls' Softball hosted the game. Plenty of young girls in Newport-Mesa uniforms watched the teams fail in their quests to put up crooked numbers on the nonexistent scoreboard. This was not the blowout of years past.

SANTA ANA — Prosecutors on Monday identified a Newport Beach physician and three others as defendants in a grand jury indictment alleging $17 million in workers' compensation insurance fraud. The Orange County district attorney's office and the California Department of Insurance released a grand jury transcript and a 181-page indictment listing 884 charges against Dr. Sim Carlisle Hoffman, 59, a radiologist from Newport Beach. Also charged were Dr. Thomas Michael Heric, 74, of Malibu; Louis Umberto Santillan, 44, of Chino Hills; and Beverly Jane Mitchell, 60, of Westlake Village.

COSTA MESA — Ears perked up last month when city officials mentioned during a City Council budget study session that Costa Mesa had made a $6 million settlement related to a car crash. Residents, workers and the usual council critics wondered when the settlement was reached, who was involved, and why they hadn't heard about it. Critics claimed the city was spending money while it looked to lay off workers, a claim the city rebutted earlier this week. The settlement, it turns out, was reached more than a year ago and didn't affect this year's budget.

Jennifer and I had our good friends Julie and Craig Chamberlain over for a barbecue the other night. The four of us started to talk about Newport Harbor politics, building permits and the cost of living. Though Julie and I go back to second grade, Craig and I met on the racecourse. He is the best offshore sailor I know, and he worked with his father, Byron Chamberlain, at Mariners General Insurance Group, a yacht insurance firm, while I was starting my yacht broker career. Craig and I quickly became good friends, and I have been sending my clients to Craig for more than 22 years now. I've never received a complaint about Craig's service to his clients.

Prosecutors hoped to put a dent in the insurance fraud circuit Thursday when they announced the arrest of 53 Orange County car mechanics and auto body shop owners, including eight from Costa Mesa, who are accused of defrauding insurance companies. Among those arrested was Huntington Beach Body Works shop owner Richard Evans, who is the star of Speed Channel's "Chop Cut Rebuild" show and has been featured on "Monster Garage." Between January and May, undercover district attorney investigators conducted the largest auto body repair insurance fraud sting in county history, dubbing the effort Operation Straight Body.

A Newport Beach doctor faces possibly decades behind bars for allegedly defrauding medical insurance companies and Medicare up to $1 million through false billing, authorities said Thursday. Glen R. Justice, 65, who lives in Corona del Mar, indicated in a plea agreement Wednesday that he is ready to plead guilty to five counts of health-care fraud related to his cancer-treatment practice, authorities said. Federal prosecutors said that Justice charged companies up to $1 million for injectable cancer medications that he never administered.

MISSION VIEJO — Somewhat out of shape, yet never out of sorts, the Corona del Mar High boys’ soccer team was ultimately true to form in the CIF Southern Section Division IV title game Friday night against La Mirada at Mission Viejo High. It was, CdM Coach George Larsen said, some second-half adversity that helped clear the way to a 2-0 Sea Kings’ win, giving the top-seeded squad the program’s first section title. The victory upped CdM’s record to 24-1-1, extended its winning streak to a season-best 12 and increased its shutout total to 16. Senior reserve forward Ali Sadri — in the game only because of injuries to starting midfielders Paul Zubatov (concussion late in the first half)

I wonder how many Americans stop to consider how much they pay for and are controlled by insurance companies. We have life insurance, auto insurance, homeowner insurance, renters insurance, title insurance, appliance insurance, travel insurance, health insurance, nursing home insurance, drug insurance and investment annuities. I have probably forgotten some. It has been our experience over the past 40 years that when we have made claims, our auto insurance was raised, our homeowners [insurance]

Readers have made the point that critics of Obama’s health-care reforms should offer an alternate or better plan. While you may not want to read the entire 1,018 pages of House Resolution 3200 — perhaps this condensed version of an alternate plan might be more palatable. For clarification, this writer is a retired physician and makes zero income from medical practice. Let’s support reforms that:  Improve the quality of care by encouraging innovation.