A New York man has been arraigned on charges that he altered a home heating-oil receipt to support a $20,000 insurance claim for damages to his home.
Gilson DaSilva, 50, is accused of altering the receipt to show that there was oil in the home's furnace and that the residence was heated. The home, which was insured by DaSilva, was damaged by water when a frozen pipe broke in February.
An investigation by New York State Insurance Department Frauds Bureau Investigator Valerie A. Burke showed that DaSilva changed the address on a receipt for oil that had been delivered to another home. Investigators for DaSilva's insurer, Central Mutual Fire Insurance Company, found that the oil tank was empty in the home that was damaged. This contradicted DaSilva's claim that the home was heated and that the damage resulted because the furnace malfunctioned.
DaSilva is charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument and falsifying business records. He could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison if he is convicted.
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