According to the acting Attorney General, John Hoffman, 42-year-old Maurice Douglas of East Orange, NJ has been charged with insurance fraud, attempted theft by deception and false reports to law enforcement last month.
NBC Philadelphia reported that Douglas claimed he was carjacked in March of 2014 by two men, one with an assault rifle, who “stole his 2007 Mercedes S-550 as he exited the vehicle at his house.” Douglas also noted that one of the alleged carjackers robbed him of his cell phone, and one other vehicle was used in the escape.
Douglas alerted the East Orange police that same day, along with his insurer in an attempt to collect approximately $38,500.
Police found Douglas’ 2007 Mercedes in an abandoned lot the next day. According to NBC Philadelphia, the car had suffered significant damage with “its headlights and taillights stripped with evident damage to its body and windshield.”
Douglas revealed the alleged carjackers’ escape route in which police retrieved time- and date-stamped surveillance video. The ensuing investigation showed no video evidence of Douglas’ Mercedes or the other getaway car taking the alleged escape route.
If Douglas is convicted on all counts, he could be facing 17 years in prison.