Swampscott man confesses to insurance fraud, larceny

SALEM – A Swampscott businessman and father of three who admitted scamming insurance companies out of over $37,000 by charging for work he pretended to perform at his automotive and glass companies in Peabody was placed on nine months of administrative probation and ordered to pay the full restitution to the insurance companies.Robert Bruce Giller, 53, of 11 Laurel Road, Swampscott, changed his plea of innocent to guilty Wednesday morning in Salem Superior Court to 20 counts of insurance fraud, 18 counts of larceny more than $250 by false pretense as well as two counts of attempted larceny before Judge David A. Lowy.In handing down the punishment, Lowy said he took into account the “nature of the offense and the guilty plea.”He also pointed out how “everybody’s insurance rates are impacted by such a crime.Assistant Attorney General Brendan O’Shea said the charges arise from January of 2006 through December of 2009 when Giller, who is the owner of Advanced Automotive Concepts, Inc. in Peabody and New England Glass Company, Inc., located at 55-R Walnut St. in Peabody, formulated a scheme in which he made false claims on invoices and other misrepresented records that he submitted to insurers to collect payments for work that was not performed on motor vehicles.Employees at the businesses performed work on motor vehicles, which included glass repairs and replacement sunroof repairs, installation of sunroofs and other automotive repairs on vehicles.Giller submitted the 20 fraudulent claims and collected $37,188.64. On two claims the insurance companies became suspicious and refused payment.O’Shea, who asked for a year of probation, acknowledged that Giller had no record, but noted that “it was a serious and significant scheme.”Giller’s defense lawyer Thomas Drechsler told Lowy that his client is a lifelong resident of Swampscott, has three children, including one 22-year-old mentally challenged son, whose needs are stressful on both parents, while explaining that it does not mitigate the crime.Drechsler pointed out to Lowy that the crime “wasn’t a situation that was done all at once,” that his client is accepting responsibility, understands the wrongfulness and is willing to pay one-half of the restitution today and the remainder next week, he said, so “everybody is made whole for the loss everybody has suffered,” as he urged the court to impose the nine-month probationary term.Giller was indicted by an Essex County grand jury in December of 2010 and has been free on his own personal promise to return to court since being arraigned.