It was but a tiny blip on the news radar here, and it was another PA grifter thing. A guy from Paoli named James Keating.
We saw it as a mention in Patch this past summer: Astoundingly but not surprisingly no one else around here picked up the story, not even the Daily Local. This I seem to think was right before the news waves got busy with the Gladwyne grifter, Scott Mason, wasn’t it?
Tredyffrin- Easttown Patch: Paoli Man Pleads Guilty In $1.45M Federal Fraud Scheme
A Paoli man will pay $1.23 million in restitution and faces up to 20 years in prison for his fraudulent actions, federal authorities said.
Max Bennett,Patch Staff / Posted Wed, Jul 31, 2024 at 11:51 am ET
PAOLI, PA — A Paoli man has admitted in federal court to fraud, authorities said.
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, said James Keating, 52, of Paoli, pleaded guilty Tuesday in New Haven federal court to an crime stemming from a fraud scheme against his former employer.
So a friend from Connecticut sent me a blip from the Fox news channel in CT a couple of days ago. They quipped something about Southeastern PA and these grifter types. Yeah…sigh…sad…
Fox 61 New Haven: Pennsylvania man who defrauded Allied World Insurance more than $1.4M sentenced in Connecticut James Keating, 52, was sentenced to one year and eight months imprisonment for wire fraud in New Haven federal court Tuesday. Author: Dalton Zbierski Published: 5:39 PM EST January 28, 2025
So then I hit our old friend Google for a look see…..
Well hey now. Then I found the fed press release:
US Attorney’s Office: District of Connecticut:
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Connecticut
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAMES KEATING, 52, of Paoli, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 20 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for defrauding his former employer of more than $1.4 million.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Keating was an Assistant Vice President and surety bond claims handler at Allied World Insurance Company (“Allied World”). He later served in the same capacity at Crum and Forster subsidiary U.S. Fire Insurance Company, where he also handled claims on Allied World surety bonds. All surety bond claims were handled through Allied World’s offices in Farmington, Connecticut.
Between 2017 and 2021, Keating defrauded Allied World in two ways. First, he used a shell company, American Construction & Industrial LLC, to bill Allied World for unnecessary claims work that was not performed and took the proceeds for himself. Second, he solicited and received kickbacks from Allied World vendors through another Keating-owned company, Surety Risk Solutions (also known as “SRS” or “SR5”), without the knowledge of his employer. Keating also caused these vendors to use another company in which he had an undisclosed ownership interest, Kodiak Asset Recovery, for asset searches at vastly inflated prices. Keating profited nearly $1 million through American Construction & Industrial LLC, more than $350,000 in kickbacks through Surety Risk Solutions, and nearly $125,000 through Kodiak Asset Recovery.
Judge Bolden ordered Keating to pay restitution of $1,226,603.97, which represents the loss to Allied World of $1,446,491.95, less $219,887.98 that he previously repaid as part of a civil judgment.
On July 30, 2024, Keating pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Novick.
Updated January 28, 2025
Ok so now my curiosity had me check the Philadelphia and one Chester County paper again. All I found were Connecticut articles.
https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/pa-man-charged-defraud-ct-insurance-company-18628861.php
https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/farmington-ct-james-keating-allied-world-insurance-20062144.php
Chester County Dockets had a couple of things:
So what was next? PACER , AKA federal court dockets. You start with what you can see for free:
https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/52376656/USA_v_KEATING
https://casetext.com/case/united-states-v-keating
Ok , yep, now for documents. First up Allied World’s case which preceded the federal case. Just the initial filing then a decision thing.
Next comes what I could find on the Federal Case. It was just out there for downloading. Just a couple of things is what I am sharing. The “GOVERNMENT’S MEMORANDUM IN AID OF SENTENCING” and “REPLY IN SUPPORT OF DEFENDANT’S SENTENCING MEMORANDUM”
How sad if you read any of it. As is the case with the 19035 guy, the 19301 guy is also a case of want vs. need. Is it fair to say, greed motivated this? Think of the wasted years of education with this guy, and obvious intelligence. According to the PA Disciplinary Board, her was also once a lawyer.
I don’t understand this. I wish I did. How do you blow up your life like this?
Of course then there is the elephant in the room. Another familiar name who was in the initial insurance company court filings, who was dropped out of it at the end of the day. Keating’s wife.
So we are 100% clear: she was in the filings then dropped out. Claims against her were DISMISSED.
BUT sadly, this is a name familiar to people locally.
Daily Local: Female East Whiteland police officer wins gender discrimination suit
By Michael P. Rellahan | mrellahan@dailylocal.com
UPDATED: August 19, 2021 at 1:22 AM EDT
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/malvern/former-east-whiteland-cop-wins-gender-discrimination-suit
Life is a meandering path. We are given one life and at the end of the day, everyone wants to be loved and happy, right?
Then with some, the basics of life fall along the sidelines as some see what they think is an easy win where no one gets hurt. In this case it was an insurance company, right?
Face it, who can honestly say given the issues insurance companies cause insureds, you don’t wish insurance companies ill? How many have had medical claims denied? Homeowners claims played around with? Say take for another example tree damage. There is a house close to me that has had it’s roof covered in a blue tarp for well over a year an a half would be my guess at this point. Upscale neighborhood, nice properties, and there they are with a giant blue tarp on the roof. What about fires? Take the burned out shell of a historic house in Berwyn at 400 Leopard Road (Leopard and Sugartown.) We drove past there this past Saturday on our way to dinner. An eerie ruin surrounded by cyclone fencing. But that is an arson investigation, right? That has it’s own set of rules and many many players.
BUT we know the difference between right an wrong, right? So what happens when the moral compass falls to the wayside? Bad things. Like this. And yet another family blown up, right?
And I still can’t believe given all of the coverage in Connecticut and nothing really here. News deserts?
Thanks for stopping by.
