Wilkes-Barre man faces fraud charges

Dec. 01--KINGSTON -- A Wilkes-Barre man was charged Monday with insurance fraud after allegedly lying about his involvement in a car crash and racking up thousands of dollars in medical bills.

Martin "Marty" Carroll, 45, of 996 Scott St., is charged with felony counts of filing a fraudulent claim and theft alleging he tried to saddle Progressive Insurance with nearly $10,000 in medical expenses the provider was not responsible for covering.

According to an affidavit filed by the Attorney General's Office, Progressive reported possible fraud after Carroll reported he was a passenger in a 2004 PT Cruiser that crashed while his brother was driving on Interstate 95 near Chester in November 2013.

Eight days later, Carroll went to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital to be treated for lower back pain, sending Progressive medical bills for $9,168, prosecutors said. In January 2014, Carroll went to MedExpress in Edwardsville for further treatment, with Progressive getting billed another $791, the affidavit says.

But investigators doubted whether Carroll was actually in the car. They came across a Facebook post in which Carroll, owner of the Dry King carpet cleaning business, said he "got the call tonight one of my marketing vehicles was hit by a tractor trailer" but that the driver "is fine."

And Carroll's brother John Carroll told investigators he had been alone when a truck cut into his lane, forcing him to swerve before hydroplaning into a wall and a truck, the affidavit says.

During questioning, Martin Carroll admitted he was not in the car and lied because he thought his brother didn't have a driver's license, prosecutors said.

Magisterial District Judge Paul J. Roberts arraigned Carroll on Monday morning and released him on $25,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing was set for 1 p.m. Dec. 16.

570-821-2058, @cvjimhalpin

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