⚠️ West Deptford family members face charges for roles in an insurance fraud scheme.
💰 Prosecutors say the scheme involved about $138,000 in phony insurance payments and kickbacks.
🏠 The fake claims involved properties in Sicklerville and Mantua and made-up construction invoices, investigators said.
TRENTON – Three family members from Gloucester County have been accused of taking part in a massive homeowners’ insurance fraud scheme and stealing well more than $100,000 through phony claims.
Husband and wife, 65-year-old Donald Feldman and 61-year-old Carolyn Feldman each face charges that include second-degree counts of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, insurance fraud and theft by deception, as well as third-degree commercial bribery, insurance fraud, and theft by deception.
They were arrested on Tuesday.
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Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash
West Deptford family faces insurance fraud charges
Their 34-year-old daughter, Brittany Feldman, faced third-degree insurance fraud and theft by deception.
All three Feldmans, who are West Deptford residents, were additionally charged with third-degree conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and theft by deception.
Former insurance examiner allegedly approved phony claims
State prosecutors said the Feldmans carried out the scheme with help from John Philbin, already convicted of a broader insurance fraud scam.
Philbin was a former claims examiner with Assurant Insurance Company.
In May, he pleaded guilty to third-degree insurance fraud. The state will recommend five years of probation with restitution, when he is sentenced.
Investigators have said that over the span of about a year, Philbin got cash kickbacks from the Feldmans after approving the family’s phony insurance claims.
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Donald Feldman is facing seven charges (Salem County jail)
Fake construction company allegedly used in insurance claims
Between April 2022 and May 2023, Donald Feldman worked with Carolyn Feldman and Philbin to create or submit about 10 made-up Assurant insurance claims.
Among those phony scams, Donald Feldman took out an Assurant policy for a Camden County property owned by another person and submitted multiple claims on the Sicklerville site.
Claims included made-up estimates and invoices for emergency mitigation or restoration work, which Donald Feldman said was performed by “American Construction and Restoration,” prosecutors said.
The company appeared to be made-up, too, as a search of statewide business records found no filings or registrations for it.
Donald Feldman is also accused of submitting invoices for mitigation services at other properties — where the actual insurance policy holders said he did not complete.
For each claim, Donald Feldman notified Philbin, who at the time was a field claims examiner.
Philbin then reassigned the claims to himself and approved about $108,000 in payments to Donald Feldman for work that was never done.
In exchange, Philbin received about 20% of the cash, which prosecutors say was carried out by Carolyn Feldman.
She is accused of coordinating claim information and cashing insurance claim checks, before delivering a cut to Philbin.
Carolyn Feldman is facing seven charges (Salem County jail)
Daughter accused in separate Mantua property claims
The role that Brittany Feldman is accused of playing was connected to two phony insurance claims involving a Mantua property, despite not living there or owning the residence.
In addition, all three Feldmans were also charged in connection with two allegedly fraudulent claims involving a property in Mantua that Brittany Feldman neither owned nor occupied.
Brittany Feldman secured an Assurant policy for the property and submitted claims of windstorm-related and animal-related damages, between March 2023 and May 2023.
Those claims were supported by made-up estimates and invoices from Feldman Construction, a family business in which she held an ownership interest.
Philbin assigned the claims to himself and approved $30,000 in payments directed to Brittany Feldman — of which he also got about 20% of the money, prosecutors said.
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State officials condemn accused insurance fraud
“New Jersey families pay for homeowners’ insurance to protect what they have worked hard to build,” state Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a written statement on Wednesday.
“The defendants in this case allegedly defrauded an insurance company for their own gain. These cases reflect our commitment to protecting honest policyholders and holding those responsible accountable.”
“An insurance claim should be paid because it is legitimate, not because the person approving it stands to receive a share of the proceeds,” Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Bernard J. Cooney said in the same release.
As of Wednesday, attorneys were not yet listed for any of the Feldman defendants.
Average New Jersey property taxes in 2025
Check to see whether your municipality’s average tax bill last year went up or down. Data is from the state Department of Community Affairs. Municipalities are listed by county and alphabetically.
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Largest tax bill increases in New Jersey in 2025
These are the municipalities in New Jersey where the average tax bill increased by at least a thousand dollars in 2025, starting with the lowest. The data is from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.
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