THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 31, 1995 TAG: 9508310476
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
A Trigon Blue Cross Blue Shield claims clerk who is reportedly terminally ill was charged Tuesday with stealing about $560,000 from the company since March.
Lloyd Mitchell Weaver Jr. was arrested as he tried to withdraw $180,000 from an account he had at Crestar Bank in downtown Richmond, said Virginia State Police spokeswoman Mary Evans.
Weaver was charged with grand larceny and could be sentenced to 20 years in prison if convicted. He was ordered held without bond in the Henrico County Jail pending a Sept. 8 bond hearing.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch quoted Weaver's oldest sister as saying that he has cancer and had tried unsuccessfully to get Trigon to place him on long-term disability ``because of the terminal illness.''
The woman, whom the newspaper did not identify by name, said her brother has been under psychiatric care since his cancer was diagnosed several years ago.
``I think as his health got worse he just couldn't handle it,'' the woman said.
Weaver had worked as an account benefit specialist for the state's largest health insurer since November 1988, processing claim forms and serving as a customer service representative at Trigon's headquarters in Richmond.
Weaver wrote 30 checks that he converted to his own use between March 14 and July 10, Evans said. Three Crestar Bank accounts in Weaver's name containing about $250,000 each have been frozen, she said.
State police also seized a 1995 Range Rover Weaver bought about two months ago and a 1995 Volvo he bought last week, Evans said. The vehicles together are worth about $85,000.
Trigon discovered that money was missing during a claims review by its corporate auditors, said Vanessa Scherzer, a company spokeswoman. The reviews detect fraud by policyholders, health care providers and employees.
KEYWORDS: GRAND LARCENY ARREST by CNB