A West New York man pleaded guilty this week to insurance fraud related to a Hoboken hit-and-run that occurred last year, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Richard Hamedl, 32, of West New York, pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree insurance fraud in relation to an insurance claim filed following his involvement in a hit-and-run incident with a parked car in Hoboken, Suarez said in a statement.
The plea was accepted by the Hudson County Superior Court Judge Vincent J. Militello during a virtual plea hearing on Wednesday.
On August 26th, 2020, Hamedl was operating a 2019 BMW X6 when he struck a parked vehicle on 10th Street in Hoboken and fled the scene.
A witness at the scene was able to get a license plate for the BMW X6 and police located the vehicle’s registered owner who advised them that she had lent the vehicle to Hamedl.
After the accident, Hamedl, who had a separate insurance policy for the BMW X6 with Progressive Insurance, called Progressive to modify his coverage. Then on September 3rd, 2020, Hamedl filed a fraudulent claim with Progressive stating that the BMW was damaged in a hit-and-run accident that same day that it was parked in Bronx, New York.
Sentencing in this case has been scheduled for March 25th before Militello.
The state is represented in this case by Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Galler of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Insurance Fraud Unit.
