PITTSFIELD - Restaurateur Jae Chung, who was facing criminal charges related to what prosecutors said was a false insurance claim, had one count of insurance fraud dismissed and two other charges continued without a finding of guilt at a plea hearing Thursday in Central Berkshire District Court. Chung's wife, Suzanne, who faced the same charges, had one charge dismissed and was given pretrial probation on the others.
The Chungs were charged with single counts of insurance fraud, filing a false police report and attempting to commit larceny over $250.
The charges stem from an insurance claim for $23,492 the couple filed with the Chubb Group of Insurance Cos. in July 2009 stating that appliances - a refrigerator, washer and dryer and a dishwasher, among other items - had been stolen from a commercial building they owned at 137 North St. Investigators for the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts (IFB) said many of the items were actually sold with the couple's Framingham home in 2008.
The case was set to go to trial Thursday in the Jury of Six session of Central District Court, but the couple pleaded out instead.
Jae Chung, 48, appeared with attorney Anthony Gianacopoulos and admitted to facts sufficient for a finding of guilt. Chung had a single count of insurance fraud dismissed and a continuation without a finding of guilt for five months on the other charges. He also paid $3,500 in restitution.
In a continuation without a finding,
In the case of Suzanne Chung, 50, who appeared with attorney William A. Rota and was given pretrial probation for five months, their is no admission of guilt and the case is dismissed after the designated time. The District Attorney's Office agreement to the eventual dismissal of all charges allows the Chungs to maintain their innocence.
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