38° and Fog
Four Charged in Alleged $250K Travel Insurance Fraud Scheme
Defendants from New Jersey and New York indicted for falsifying hospitalizations abroad to file duplicate claims
Four individuals, including two residents of Fort Lee, have been indicted for allegedly orchestrating a multi-state conspiracy to defraud travel insurance companies out of more than $250,000 by filing false claims for overseas medical emergencies that never occurred, according to an announcement by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, the Division of Criminal Justice, and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP).
Agustin Matos, 40, of North Haledon; Kenia Ivonne Vasquez, 44, of the Bronx, New York; and Keyra Carla Liriano, 45, and Patricio Arturo Alfonso, 46, both of Fort Lee, were each indicted on December 5, 2025, by a state grand jury. All four face charges, including second-degree conspiracy and insurance fraud, third-degree attempted theft by deception and identity theft, and fourth-degree tampering with records. Liriano faces an additional third-degree charge of theft by deception.
“The defendants in this case are charged with coming up with a simple—yet potentially lucrative—scam by taking out multiple travel insurance policies and then filing claims against them for trips they never actually took and for medical emergencies they allegedly fabricated,” said Attorney General Platkin. “The excellent work of our investigators and attorneys should make it obvious that we are always ready to prosecute these kinds of crimes.”
The charges stem from an investigation launched by OIFP following a referral from American International Group Inc. (AIG). According to prosecutors, between April 2022 and August 2023, the defendants allegedly opened multiple travel insurance policies for the same foreign trips using false identities, then submitted nearly identical claims to multiple insurers, falsely stating they had been hospitalized abroad and had incurred thousands of dollars in medical expenses.
Investigators found that the defendants had not traveled as claimed and that the records provided to the insurance companies were fraudulent or fabricated. The same credit card information was reportedly used across applications, helping investigators link the individuals together. Additionally, each insurance claim allegedly falsely certified that no other policies covered the trip or medical expenses, despite multiple overlapping policies being in place.
Although most of the insurance companies denied the claims, Liriano allegedly received $14,835 in fraudulent payouts and is charged accordingly. In total, the group is accused of attempting to defraud insurers of approximately $252,852, with the largest individual amount—$167,829—attributed to Alfonso.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Jana Robinson under the supervision of Assistant Bureau Chief Evgeniya Sitnikova and Bureau Chief Crystal Callahan. The investigation was led by Detective Jessica Petri with oversight from OIFP supervisors and assistance from AIG’s Special Investigation Unit.
If convicted, the defendants face significant penalties. Second-degree charges carry sentences of five to 10 years in prison and fines up to $150,000. Third-degree charges carry three to five years and fines up to $15,000, while fourth-degree charges are punishable by up to 18 months in prison and fines up to $10,000.
The public is reminded that the charges are merely accusations at this stage, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
OIFP continues to encourage the public to report suspected insurance fraud. Tips can be submitted anonymously by calling 1-877-55-FRAUD or visiting www.NJInsurancefraud.org. Eligible informants may receive a reward for information that leads to an arrest and a conviction.
