Brothers on trial for insurance fraud

A Kerry solicitor and his brother have gone on trial at the Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee on charges of forging health insurance claim forms with intent to defraud in 1994.

The accused are solicitor Patrick Enright, aged 52, of Glenlarehan, Castleisland, and Denis Enright, aged 48, a farmer, of Knockardtry, Castleisland.

They yesterday pleaded not guilty to nine charges of forging documents purporting to be New York Life Insurance Company group health insurance claim forms on dates unknown between Jan and Aug 1994 and in various amounts in respect of medical expenses purportedly incurred.

The sums varied from $1,900 (€1,450) to $4,800 and a total of $31,850 had been sought, it was alleged.

The charges are brought under the Forgery Act 1913.

Outlining the case to the jury, prosecutor Tom Rice said the prosecution alleges that the brothers forged health insurance claim forms from the New York Life Insurance Company, based in New York State, which had a branch in Ireland, Nylerin, based in Castleisland.

Patrick Enright had worked for the insurance company between 1988 and 1994 before becoming a solicitor in Castleisland.

Denis Enright had always been a farmer. The prosecution case, it was suggested, would say taht seven people from New York, whose names appeared on the forms, never made those claims, Mr Rice said.

Those persons were living in New York and would not be at the trial.

“They were forged by the accused,” he stated. “These forms had to be signed off by a doctor and, in this case, ‘Dr John Coyle of Manhattan, New York’ — that person does not exist and there is no such person,” said Mr Rice.

The forgery was done with intent to defraud, he said.

A claims examiner from Nylerin and other employees who processed claims in Castleisland would also be giving evidence, said Mr Rice.

The jury of nine men and three women were told to set aside three weeks for the case.

Judge Carroll Moran directed the jury to return this morning for the start of the case. He warned them not to talk to anyone about the case until it was completed.