Fugitive insurance fraudster sentenced to seven years in prison
A fugitive fraud artist, who, with his wife, defrauded the federal health care plan out of more than $600,000, has been sentenced – in absentia – to seven years in prison.
Ottawa resident Emmanuel Feuerwerker and his wife, Lise Pouliot, submitted over 100 fraudulent claims for physiotherapy treatments, accruing $620,000 in fraudulent payments from the government’s health plan. Feuerwerker was convicted in April 2011 of insurance fraud and was sentenced to appear in court on July 15 for sentencing. He did not appear. Police say Feuerwerker left his wife a note which addressed the judge but did not explain why he disappeared.
Pouliot was sentenced to four years in prison for her role in the scheme.
Pouliot reportedly blames the insurance company that made the payments, claiming she never received any of the money and accused the court of conducting only a superficial examination of the evidence, said Ontario Superior Court Justice Denis Power.
“The motive for this crime was one of greed, pure and simple,” said Power. “As time went on, it appears this greed was insatiable. It appears the greed was based on some weird sense of entitlement.”
A Canada-wide warrant remains in effect for Feuerwerker, who is also on the RCMP’s Most Wanted list.
