Prosecutor Honored for Efforts to Fight Fraud

A national insurance and consumer-protection alliance has presented its inaugural “Prosecutor of the Year Award” to a veteran of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Albert MacKenzie, deputy-in-charge of the fraud interdiction program, received the award from the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Lauded by the fraud fighting community for prosecutorial innovation and ingenuity, MacKenzie was one of seven nominees selected from a pool of local, state and federal prosecutors.

District Attorney Steve Cooley piloted the fraud interdiction program in 2004 with MacKenzie at its helm. The program, based on a concept developed by the seasoned prosecutor, supplants traditional, sometimes cumbersome methods of investigation with more aggressive and tactical procedures that combat systemic fraud.

Dennis Jay, executive director for the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, said prosecutors are vital links in the fight against insurance fraud. Founded in 1993, the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud is a non-profit alliance of insurance companies, consumer groups and government agencies that fight all forms of insurance fraud.