Jailed Philadelphia Adjuster Stole $700K From Claims

A Philadelphia insurance adjuster has been jailed on charges he stole more than $700,000 from 29 successful claims made by people in the suburbs, including 10 stemming from property damage caused by Hurricane Sandy last year.

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman says 70-year-old Marshal Perlman stole the money while operating a claims service called Claimstar Inc. in Lower Merion.

She says Perlman forced his clients’ signatures on settlement checks so he could deposit them in his bank account. During the alleged scheme, which began in September 2010, Perlman bought and renovated a condominium and went on a luxury vacation.

Online court records don’t list an attorney for Perlman who remained in the county jail Friday.

He faces a preliminary hearing Thursday on 215 counts of theft and related charges.