LUXURY CAR RENTAL COMPANY OWNER SENTENCED TO FOUR YEARS IN PRISON FOR INSURANCE FRAUD SCHEME INVOLVING STAGED CRASH

The following information was released by the office of the Attorney General of New Jersey:

Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) announced today that an owner of a high-end car rental company has been sentenced to four years in state prison for insurance fraud involving a staged car crash and fraudulent insurance claim.

Bozena A. Kolc, 47, of Edgewater, New Jersey, was sentenced on September 28, 2026 by New Jersey Superior Court Judge James M. Doyle in Bergen County. The court also ordered Kolc to pay approximately $314,000 in restitution for additional losses associated with the broader case.

Kolc pleaded guilty on July 21, 2026, to one count of second-degree insurance fraud.

"Insurance fraud can drive up expenses for motorists across our state, and it also carries significant costs for perpetrators, as this sentence shows," said Attorney General Davenport. "As people around our state and nation bear the weight of rising costs, we are committed to holding those who cheat the system accountable."

"This defendant tried to turn a staged crash into a substantial insurance payout," said Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Bernard J. Cooney. "Kolc insured a luxury vehicle after it had already been damaged and then made several misrepresentations in support of the claim. The claim was never paid, and this sentence holds the defendant accountable for that conduct."

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, Kolc was an owner of Imperial Exotics, a luxury car rental business that operated in North Bergen. In December 2024, Kolc and five other defendants were charged in a 33-count indictment following an investigation into the business.

Kolc's guilty plea stemmed from an insurance claim involving a 2021 Bentley Bentayga registered to Kolc and valued at approximately $274,000. The vehicle had already been damaged when Kolc added it to a Geico Insurance Company policy in January 2022. Approximately one month later, in February 2022, the Bentley was reported as having been involved in an accident.

As part of her guilty plea, Kolc admitted to several acts of insurance fraud in connection with the claim, including adding the Bentley to the Geico policy after it had already been damaged, submitting a police report detailing a staged accident, making false statements under oath to the insurer, and submitting a forged foreign bank account statement in furtherance of the false claim. Kolc also admitted that the fraudulent claim sought $273,864 from Geico, which did not ultimately pay the claim.

Of the five other defendants charged in the indictment, defendants Braden Tyson Brown and Edwyn Macelus are awaiting trial. Defendant Everet Lake was admitted into the Pretrial Intervention program in January 2026 after being indicted on several fourth-degree charges, including conspiracy, forgery, and falsifying or tampering with records. Defendant Terrance Everett pleaded guilty to possession of a false government-issued identification document and was sentenced on May 15, 2026, to one year of probation. Defendant Damian Slezak pleaded guilty to third-degree insurance fraud on April 2, 2026, and is awaiting sentencing.

The charges against Brown and Macelus are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorneys General Alyssa Pelardis and Crystal Callahan of the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor. Lt. Amy Carson led the investigation along with Civil Investigator Gabrielle Kane. Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Cooney thanked the Geico Insurance Company and the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) for their assistance in the investigation.

OIFP's mission includes coordination of all anti-insurance fraud activities statewide, and many successful prosecutions are a result of initial anonymous tips. If you suspect insurance fraud or have information about a potential case, OIFP wants to hear from you. You can report fraud anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-877-55-FRAUD or visiting www.NJInsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit a reward to be paid to eligible persons who provide information that leads to an arrest, prosecution, and conviction for insurance fraud.

Defense counsel: Ciro A. Mederos, Esq.