Six accused in bone-breaking insurance scam
June 7, 2003
They called him the "bonecrusher" because he was the one to swing the ax handle; the one who placed the arms and legs of the homeless people on the stone block and smashed them so badly they could pass as car accident victims.
That was the scam: crush the bones of homeless people so desperate for a buck that they'd allow their own bodies to be maimed for money.
For years, the scam worked, to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
But police believe they now have the perpetrators of what they call a cruel, brutal crime.
Six people have been charged with insurance fraud in a scheme in which homeless people were lured into having their arms and legs broken with promises of insurance settlement cash.
Charged with inflicting the injuries are Michael Garner, 39, of the 700 block of South Francisco; Kendrick Moore, 53, of the 3200 block of West Division, and Marlon Cole, 32, of the 1100 block of South Richmond. Garner was known as the "bonecrusher," said police spokesman Pat Camden.
Also charged are Anthony Parker, 51, of the 14000 block of Peoria, Harvey; Jamila Sutton, 28, of the 4200 block of West Jackson; and Darien Robinson, 28, of the 6700 block of Cedar Lane, Westmont. Police say those three were drivers in the scam.
Investigators say members of the crew would scour homeless shelters for people so desperate for money they'd do almost anything. "They would find these guys who were down on their luck," said Area 4 Det. Ken Bigg.
The recruiters would promise thousands of dollars if they'd take part in the scheme, which involved, they said, getting "bumped."
"On the appointed day they would take them to a garage and put their arm on a stone block," Bigg said. "And they would smash the arm."
In most cases the injury would be a compound facture with the bone showing through the skin, Bigg said--the better to persuade insurance companies to come up with big settlements.
Bigg said the crew would alternate smashing arms and legs to ward off suspicion from insurance companies. "That was the pattern, one arm, one leg," he said.
They'd then take the injured homeless person to a staged "accident" scene and call 911. The ringleaders would contact insurance companies posing as relatives and say they were "desperately in need of money and willing to settle in a hurry."
Once the insurance check was issued, the perpetrators would cash them at currency exchanges. The injured people "got anything from nothing to $1,500" on settlements between $10,000 and $100,000, Bigg said.
Investigators say they have six documented cases of the scam, but believe it occurred many more times.
It may have gone undetected had it not been for people calling in with concerns over the number of homeless people showing up at shelters with broken arms and legs, said Bigg.
June 7, 2003
They called him the "bonecrusher" because he was the one to swing the ax handle; the one who placed the arms and legs of the homeless people on the stone block and smashed them so badly they could pass as car accident victims.
That was the scam: crush the bones of homeless people so desperate for a buck that they'd allow their own bodies to be maimed for money.
For years, the scam worked, to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
But police believe they now have the perpetrators of what they call a cruel, brutal crime.
Six people have been charged with insurance fraud in a scheme in which homeless people were lured into having their arms and legs broken with promises of insurance settlement cash.
Charged with inflicting the injuries are Michael Garner, 39, of the 700 block of South Francisco; Kendrick Moore, 53, of the 3200 block of West Division, and Marlon Cole, 32, of the 1100 block of South Richmond. Garner was known as the "bonecrusher," said police spokesman Pat Camden.
Also charged are Anthony Parker, 51, of the 14000 block of Peoria, Harvey; Jamila Sutton, 28, of the 4200 block of West Jackson; and Darien Robinson, 28, of the 6700 block of Cedar Lane, Westmont. Police say those three were drivers in the scam.
Investigators say members of the crew would scour homeless shelters for people so desperate for money they'd do almost anything. "They would find these guys who were down on their luck," said Area 4 Det. Ken Bigg.
The recruiters would promise thousands of dollars if they'd take part in the scheme, which involved, they said, getting "bumped."
"On the appointed day they would take them to a garage and put their arm on a stone block," Bigg said. "And they would smash the arm."
In most cases the injury would be a compound facture with the bone showing through the skin, Bigg said--the better to persuade insurance companies to come up with big settlements.
Bigg said the crew would alternate smashing arms and legs to ward off suspicion from insurance companies. "That was the pattern, one arm, one leg," he said.
They'd then take the injured homeless person to a staged "accident" scene and call 911. The ringleaders would contact insurance companies posing as relatives and say they were "desperately in need of money and willing to settle in a hurry."
Once the insurance check was issued, the perpetrators would cash them at currency exchanges. The injured people "got anything from nothing to $1,500" on settlements between $10,000 and $100,000, Bigg said.
Investigators say they have six documented cases of the scam, but believe it occurred many more times.
It may have gone undetected had it not been for people calling in with concerns over the number of homeless people showing up at shelters with broken arms and legs, said Bigg.
