IASIU Names 2011 “Investigator of the Year”

<p><location value="LU/us.tx.sanant" idsrc="xmltag.org">SAN ANTONIO</location>--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Breaking open a massive international car-theft ring has earned <person>Pamela Stiefel</person>, an investigator with The <location value="LU/us.ct.hartfd" idsrc="xmltag.org">Hartford</location>, the coveted Investigator of the Year Award from the <org>International Association of Special Investigation Units</org> (<a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iasiu.org&esheet=6857987&lan=en-US&anchor=IASIU&index=1&md5=fec482fff015126ed251f56215541f5f">IASIU</a>). </p><p> President <person>David Rioux</person> presented the award today at ISAIU’s 26th annual seminar. </p><p> After receiving a suspicious claim, Stiefel found that a man had handed over his truck in response to an advertisement offering to sell used cars for a commission. </p><p> Months of ignored calls later, the truck owner filed an insurance claim saying his truck, and money, were stolen. Stiefel reviewed the claim and saw a strange pattern: One person had retitled that truck and nine other vehicles at about the same time. Cars were being stolen, retitled and shipped overseas. </p><p> Investigators met with the <org>FBI</org> and plotted a sting operation that provided enough evidence to indict 19 people and discover 800 fraudulently titled cars. Stiefel shared intelligence that helped colleagues identify suspicious claims and gut this far-reaching scam. The investigation also helped spur legislation to close loopholes that allowed these scams to thrive. </p><p> In other awards, <person>Dave Klimek</person>, a special agent for the <org>FBI</org> in <location value="LS/us.tx" idsrc="xmltag.org">Texas</location>, received the Public Service Award for leading some of the most important staged crash investigations of his state: busting a fraud ring that stole innocent citizens’ identities to file false injury claims. </p><p> After receiving a tip from an insurer, Klimek began an investigation. He coordinated several rounds of search warrants. The warrants were served in more than 18 locations, involving some 200 members of law enforcement. Twenty-two people, including doctors, lawyers and chiropractors, pleaded guilty to the <money>$5-million</money> insurance scheme. </p><p> Anna Kostovos received the Analyst of the Year Award for extensive cell-phone analysis and presentations at the <org value="ACORN:914328916" idsrc="xmltag.org">National Insurance Crime Bureau</org>. Kostovos’ insight into an arson investigation combined numerous cellphone records to prove the claimant’s actions were inconsistent with his fraudulent claims. </p><p><person>Miles H. Watters Jr</person>. of <org>State Farm</org> was awarded the Outstanding Service Award. Watters started as a claims representative more than 30 years ago, then moved to claims management. Waters trained countless claims personnel and investigative professionals, wrote crucial investigation guides, and served as president of two state and one national investigator associations. </p><p class="bwalignc"></p><p><img alt="" src="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=bwnews&sty=20110912006769r1&sid=acqr4&distro=nx" /><span class="bwct31415" /></p><p><org>International Association of Special Investigation Units</org> (IASIU)<br /><person>David J. Rioux</person>, President, 814-870-2568<br /><a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a><br /></p><p>Source: <org>International Association of Special Investigation Units</org> (IASIU)</p>