Wall Township Roofing Firm President Charged with Insurance Fraud

The head of a Wall Township roofing firm appears headed for trial, charged with insurance fraud by investigators in the office of acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman.

Charles Kelcy Pegler, Sr., 55, of Spring Lake, is accused of enriching himself by $265,044 by concealing the nature of Roof Diagnostics, Inc.'s work to New Jersey Casualty Insurance Company, which covered RDI's worker-compensation claims.

According to investigators, Pegler's alleged manipulation of information allowed RDI to pay comp premiums far below the going rate given to comparable businesses.

Authorities place the time frame for their allegations between June 6, 2002 and October 5, 2009, when the offices were situated in Spring Lake Heights.

He's also accused of pulling in $34,295 from a contracted job in Galloway by neglecting to set comp coverage in place for his employees.

Pegler is charged with second-degree counts of theft by deception and false contract payment claim for a government contract. Each carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison and fines as high as $150,000 on conviction.

He also faces a third-degree charge of insurance fraud, which carries a maximum five-year term and $15,000 fine if convicted; and a fourth-degree count of false swearing, punishable by up to 18 months behind bars and fines up to $10,000 on conviction.

"By providing misinformation to his workers' compensation carrier, he not only failed in this responsibility but also defrauded an insurance company out of hundreds of thousands of dollars," said Hoffman in a prepared release. "The cost of such fraud is passed on to consumers through increased premiums."