Newburyport Man Charged with Defrauding Home Repair Insurance Provider of $1.5 Million
Use False and Stolen Identities To Enroll Non-Existent or Unsuspecting Homeowners In Insurance Plans
A Newburyport man faces federal wire fraud charges after allegedly orchestrating a scheme that defrauded a home repair insurance provider out of over $1.5 million by billing for repair jobs that were never performed.
Christian Decristofaro, 40, was arrested and charged with wire fraud following a criminal complaint filed in federal court. Decristofaro, who controlled NE Premier Home Services LLC, allegedly used the home repair company to fraudulently enroll unsuspecting or nonexistent homeowners in insurance plans with the victimized insurance provider. According to prosecutors, between 2022 and 2023, Decristofaro reported fake home emergencies and directed NE Premier to be assigned to carry out the repairs. The company then billed the insurer for work that was never completed, according to the charges.
An investigation revealed that inspections of the properties tied to the fraudulent claims showed no signs of the purported repairs. Despite this, the insurer allegedly paid NE Premier at least $1.5 million in response to the fraudulent billings.
Decristofaro, who was arrested yesterday, is scheduled to make his first court appearance today at 2:30 p.m. in federal court in Boston.
If convicted, Decristofaro faces significant penalties, including up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fines of up to $250,000 or twice the amount of the loss or gain resulting from the fraud. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan C. Cleary and Leslie A. Wright of the Criminal Division.
The charges were announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. The details of the case remain allegations, and Decristofaro is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
This case underscores ongoing efforts by federal authorities to crack down on fraud within the insurance and home repair industries, as investigators continue to scrutinize claims and billing practices to ensure that providers are not defrauded.
