A northwest suburban man who faked slip-and-fall injuries to scam insurance companies out of hundreds of thousands of dollars will spend six months in jail and pay more than $250,000 in restitution, prosecutors said.
Juventino Guzman, 53, of Elgin admitted submitting paperwork to insurance companies four times between November 2011 and January 2013 claiming he slipped and fell at businesses in Elgin and Carpentersville, according to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s office.
Guzman, of the 500 block of Prospect Street, later admitted to police he faked the injuries to get insurance money, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty to felony counts of aggravated insurance fraud and forgery on Nov. 6, 2013.
Guzman received a $219,000 payout from an April 2009 claim, which he had submitted with a false name and Social Security number, prosecutors said.
He must pay a total of $250,000 in monthly payments within five years, or face prison time, prosecutors said.
“Insurance fraud is a major crime that imposes significant financial costs on consumers, businesses, governments and our community as a whole. Mr. Guzman’s fraud contributes to higher insurance premiums for all of us,” State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said in the statement.
Guzman will serve his six months in the Kane County Jail. He will also serve 48 months probation for the fraud charge and 30 months for the forgery charge, to be served concurrently.
