Man who made up twin sons' hospital stays gets prison term

A New Jersey man who falsely claimed his young twin sons had lengthy hospital stays so he could collect more than $140,000 from his insurer is now headed to prison.

State officials say Steven Herder received a three-year sentence Monday and must pay restitution to the insurance company. The 41-year-old Lindenwold man pleaded guilty last month to insurance fraud.

Authorities say Herder filed five false insurance claims between June 2012 and November 2014. Four of the claims were paid, but the fifth was denied.

The claims sought payment for purported hospital stays ranging from 11 weeks to 26 weeks for one or the other of Herder's sons. Authorities say Herder forged doctors' signatures on fake hospital records he created on a computer.