MTA Cop Arrested For Phony Claim About 'Stolen' Ring
By TOMMY HALLISSEY
A Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Officer was arrested for filing a fraudulent insurance claim of nearly $30,000 for a diamond ring that was reported missing but was actually on his fiancée's finger.

John V. Barnett, 40, was arraigned in Queens Supreme Court after his arrest Sept. 12 by the state Insurance Department's Frauds Bureau. Mr. Barnett faces a single felony count of insurance fraud. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison.

Hiding in Plain Sight

The former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve purchased the diamond for approximately $15,000 in July 2006 under a promotional program sponsored by USAA, an insurance company that serves current and former military personnel. The ring was set into a $2,200 18-karat gold setting and insured for $28,375.

He reported the ring missing in 2007, then filed a claim with USAA that he lost it while getting it cleaned at the jeweler, according to the state Insurance Department.

Investigators tracked down Mr. Barnett's fiancée and spotted the ring on her finger.

Mr. Barnett was released on his own recognizance pending a future court hearing.

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown's Integrity Bureau will prosecute the case.