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Eight people from across central Indiana were sentenced to federal prison and probation for their roles in a $1.2 million travel insurance fraud scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana announced this week.
Investigators say the defendants were responsible for filing 441 fraudulent insurance claims, resulting in $1,199,149.32 in losses to the insurance company.
“Fraud schemes of any kind erode trust in programs designed to protect people in times of need,” Tom Wheeler, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, said in a press release. “These defendants abused their positions and exploited legitimate insurance processes for personal gain, resulting in significant losses. Today’s sentences reflect our office’s commitment to holding accountable those who engage in coordinated, long‑running fraud and to protecting businesses and consumers from financial harm.”
According to court documents, defendant Jennifer Fleener, 60, initiated a scheme in 2016 to submit and approve fraudulent travel insurance claims through her employer, Houston-based specialty medical group Tokio Marine HCC. The company has a travel division in the Indianapolis area, WorldTrips, that sells short-term travel medical insurance to individuals traveling outside of the United States. In most cases, the court papers refer to the company as T.M.
Fleener worked at WorldTrips from 2012 to 2021 as a case-management supervisor and claims handler and had detailed knowledge of the company’s policy-issuance and claims-processing procedures.
Beginning in 2016, Fleener’s ex-husband, defendant Mike Fleener, 54, joined the scheme and recruited several individuals, many of whom lived in the Philippines. Investigators say Mike Fleener recruited defendant Jasmin Aldava Grimes, a Philippine national, who purchased travel insurance policies from the company using her own information and the information of others. Grimes shared a portion of claims with both Mike and Jennifer Fleener and helped recruit individuals to the scheme as well, according to court documents.
In 2019, Jennifer Fleener expanded the scheme by recruiting fellow employees, their families and associates, including auditor Asha Mimms, Mimms’s daughter Dasha Pearson, associate Amber McDaniel and former employee Jennifer Thompson, court documents state.
As part of the scheme, Jennifer Fleener instructed the defendants to purchase insurance policies for themselves and others, which she approved without secondary review in her role with the company, according to court documents. She allegedly received a share of the defendants’ payout checks from Tokio Marine.
The husband of Fleener’s niece, defendant Christopher Perdue, knowingly allowed his personal information to be used to get fraudulent policies and submit false claims, receiving a portion of the kickbacks in return, according to court documents. He also pleaded guilty to making false statements and declarations before a federal grand jury.
Each of the defendants was sentenced to the following and ordered to pay restitution:
- Jennifer Fleener of Indianapolis was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison with two years of supervised release. She was ordered to pay $1,199,149.32 in restitution.
- Mike Fleener of Camby, Indiana, was sentenced to four years in prison with two years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $1,188,470.58 in restitution.
- Asha Mimms, 46, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison with two years of supervised release. She was ordered to pay $365,570.85 in restitution.
- Jasmin Aldava Grimes, 44, of Martinsville, was sentenced to three years of probation. She was ordered to pay $788,321.14 in restitution.
- Jennifer Thompson, 45, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to three years of probation. She was ordered to pay $604,745.12 in restitution.
- Amber McDaniel, 45, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to two years of probation. She was ordered to pay $85,894.94 in restitution.
- Christopher Perdue, 38, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to three years of probation. He was ordered to pay $89,403.49 in restitution.
- Dasha Pearson, 28, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to two years of probation. She was ordered to pay $42,628.32 in restitution.
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