New Hampshire Man Convicted of Insurance Application Fraud

A New Hampshire man admits he committed insurance application fraud for reinstating his policy and then filing a claim for a fire-damaged woodchopper.

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office says Jason Joyce of Hudson was convicted Wednesday of misdemeanor fraud and given a one-year suspended sentence. He also must pay more than $1,800 in restitution to Farm Family insurance.

On Nov. 13, 2009 Joyce got a call from a business associate in his Allwood Recycling company that a woodchopper had caught fire while chopping wood into pellets. The associate called the fire department and Joyce called his insurance agent to reinstate his policy, which had lapsed two weeks earlier.

Joyce certified he had suffered no losses while the policy was lapsed, then filed a claim for damage to the woodchopper.