New York Man Sentenced After Posing As NBA Player in Insurance Scheme

A New York man, who prosecutors say ran a "massive insurance fraud scheme" has been sentenced to federal prison. The Post Standard says the man, who once worked as a nurse though eventually fell on hard times, posed as a star player from the National Basketball Association, as well as other patients as part of the scam.

See Also: New York State Woman Allegedly Made Over $10K in Fraudulent Returns

U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert said the man's actions were "inexcusable", and added, “To ruin people’s reputations, to do all that, for wealth is really something."

New York Man Sentenced

The Post Standard says that the 54-year-old was sentenced Friday in Central Islip, after being convicted in 2022 of fraud and identity theft charges. Prosecutors say the man posed as patients so he could "harangue the companies for payments that weren’t actually due."

One notable individual that he pretended to be was NBA star Marcus Smart, who was injured in 2018 after hitting a picture frame, according to the Associated Press. The Standard reports that another victim was NFL lawyer and executive Jeff Pash.

Judge Joanna Seybert sentenced the man to 12 years in federal prison, according to Newsday.

Scammers Allegedly Called Hudson Valley Resident, Claiming On Behalf of “Sheriff Imperative”

The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office posted on their Facebook page that they are currently investigating an incident in which a resident of Dutchess County was contacted by an individual who claimed to be calling on behalf of “Sheriff Imperative”.

In this incident, the perpetrators called from an 845 area code calling on behalf of “Sheriff Kirk Imperative” and a “Captain Stevens”. They continued to claim to the Dutchess County resident that they failed to appear for “grand jury duty” and had two warrants. The perpetrators persisted the resident pay 10% of a $20,000 bond via PayPal or Apple Pay, or face jail time.

By "Sheriff Imperative", it is more than likely the scammer meant to say: Dutchess County Sheriff Kirk Imperati 

The Sheriff's Office says if you have received a phone similar to what was described above or may have been the victim of another scam, we encourage you to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 845-486-3800 or via the tip line at 845-605-CLUE or dcsotips@gmail.com.

See Also: Elderly New York Woman Scammed by Person Claiming to Work For Microsoft