Mars man jailed after pleading guilty to fraud
A Mars man charged with using his brother's identity to address alcohol addiction issues was sentenced to county prison in Butler County Court on Thursday.
Todd J. Curtin, 41, was sentenced to 11½ to 23 months in Butler County Prison by county Judge William Shaffer on Thursday, after pleading guilty to felony insurance fraud, identity theft and criminal attempt to theft by deception in April.
He was ordered to pay $6,444.50 in restitution, as well as undergo 24 months of probation following parole.
Curtin was initially charged with 12 counts, including three felony counts of insurance fraud and two felony counts each of identity theft and theft by deception, two misdemeanor counts each of identity theft and theft by deception, as well as theft of services. The remaining charges were dismissed as part of the plea.
Curtin's attorney, Chief Public Defender Kevin Flaherty, said these charges stem from an addiction to alcohol and involved Curtin “using his brothers identification to detox himself at various hospitals.”
The charges were filed by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office on Nov. 1, 2016, following a report by Curtin's brother that he had received notices for medical services in Butler and Allegheny counties that he did not undergo between October and December 2015.
The brother reported living and working outside of the country at the time, and suspected Curtin was using his name and personal information to obtain the services through Highmark Insurance, according to court documents.
The victim told investigators that Curtin “was homeless and in and out of jail” and that he had a “severe alcohol problem.”
Several claims were made for services at Butler Memorial Hospital where Curtin was admitted to its alcohol dependency ward Oct. 20, 2015, documents said.
On Dec. 5, documents said, Curtin was transported by ambulance from a suburban Pittsburgh restaurant to St. Clair Hospital in Allegheny County, apparently due to his continuing alcohol problem, police said.
At the hospital's emergency department, documents said, he told medical staff that he drinks “half a gallon of vodka a day.”
On Dec. 7, Curtin again allegedly used his brother's information at UPMC Passavant-McCandless in Allegheny County where he sought treatment for alcohol dependency withdrawal.
