EAST BERNE — A New York City insurance scam was broken up after being traced back to the Hilltowns, according to the Albany County District Attorney’s Office.

Eight downstate men have been charged with multiple counts of felony insurance fraud after authorities contended that they registered fleets of vehicles at upstate addresses — including East Berne and Hunter — for use downstate.

Commercial insurance rates are lower in rural counties.

The change in registration addresses resulted in premium reductions totaling nearly $1.5 million dollars, with $944,665 worth of the reductions coming from registration to 219 Joslyn School Rd. in East Berne, according to the district attorney’s office.

The office also says that the eight men arrested are not a part of an insurance fraud ring.
"The eight defendants were individuals; this is not a conspiracy. They are just being tried as one," said Richard Arthur, director of administration for the district attorney’s office.
There is no house at the Joslyn School Road address, only a mailbox with the number 219 and the company name "Extreme Trans" printed on it in blue lettering.

Arthur told The Enterprise yesterday that Peter J. Albano, 48, is the owner of that mailbox.

Albano, who lives at 1902 Coleman Ave., Brooklyn, rents an undisclosed amount of land from the property owner for his mailbox, according to Arthur.

The property owner is not under investigation and is testifying for the prosecution, Arthur said; he declined to name the property owner.
"The owner of the property in Berne was just approached by some of these guys and asked to rent some property," said Arthur. He said that he didn’t see a connection between Albano and East Berne.
Although Arthur does not know how many vehicles Albano registered to the East Berne address, he described the number of vehicles as "a fleet," and said that at least one of the vehicles was a "stretched Hummer."

District Attorney David Soares’s office said that Albano and another man, Richard Shavel, 44, of 74 Bonney Court, Monroe, were both charged with more severe felonies because the amount of the insurance fraud for each of them was over $100,000 — the other six men are below this number. Shavel, who had used an address in Hunter, according to Arthur, fraudulently saved $399,000 from his insurance company.

If convicted on all counts, Albano and Shavel will each face up to 15 years in prison, and the other men arrested will face up to seven years, according to Soares’s office.
Soares said in a released statement that the real victims of insurance frauds are the "law-abiding" citizens. He applauded the inter-agency cooperation between his office; the New York City Police, who arrested the eight men; the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles; and the state’s Insurance Department.
In the same release, Superintendent of Insurance Howard Mills said, "Aggressive fraud prosecution has helped New Yorkers save half a billion dollars in insurance premiums this year."

Arthur said the men are in the custody of the NYPD, but that they will be tried by the Albany County District Attorney’s Office. He said he did not know when the next court date would be.

In addition to Albano and Shavel, the following men were charged with second- and third-degree insurance fraud and first-degree offering a false instrument:

— Harris J. Thorpe, 34, of 4062 Laurie Place, Bronx;

— Petar Bojilov, 30, of 3419 Irwin Rd., Bronx’

— Roben Allonce, 46, of Ocean Ave., 5K, Brooklyn;

— Zeev Lichtick, 53, of 2057 East 68th St., Brooklyn;

— Roman Ashurov, 35, of 1202 Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn; and

— Winston A. McLean, 59, of 254-24 Craft Ave., Rosedale.