A personal injury attorney from Maryland pleaded guilty Wednesday to an insurance-fraud conspiracy in which he teamed up with a Virginia chiropractor to submit bogus claims.
John Doe, 45, of Bethesda faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 5 in U.S. District Court in Alexandria.
Court records show that authorities ran an undercover sting to unearth an operation in which Doe employed “runners” to recruit accident victims and refer them to chiropractor Jason C. He and Doe would pay the runners $500 to $1,200 for each recruit. The runners would coach individuals to fake or exaggerate injuries.
Doe’s plea agreement focuses on an admission that he personally falsely claimed receiving treatment from Jason following a 2009 bicycle accident to extract an $11,000 insurance settlement.
Doe’s lawyer, Peter Greenspun, said “Ryan Doe was struck by a car causing injuries. Mr. Doe has admitted full responsibility though for making misrepresentations in his accident claim, and for that is suffering great consequences. Ryan is devastated by his terrible judgment.”
Jason earlier pleaded guilty to related charges.