If there were a Bonnie and Clyde of insurance fraud, it just might be Joanne and Steven Fawcett.
Joanne, 61, and Steven, 62, were arrested for charges stemming from insurance fraud on Oct. 7 in Sacramento.
In April 2007, Joanne Fawcett claimed she was hit by a vehicle as she was walking in a parking lot, and injured her knee. Fawcett then alleged that as a result of her injury, she could not walk up stairs or work. Fawcett's husband Steven backed up his wife's claims in an interview with insurance company investigators.
The CDI investigation revealed that Mrs. Fawcett was able to walk up stairs and was employed cleaning rental properties during the time period she claimed to be unable to do so. Additionally, surveillance video obtained during the investigation revealed the husband and wife pair working for a property management company. The video also shows Mrs. Fawcett walking normally and moving a refrigerator into a rental property.
The Department of Insurance investigation revealed that Joanne Fawcett has filed 24 injury claims since the mid-1990s, costing insurance companies in excess of $450,000.
If convicted, Mr. and Mrs. Fawcett could each face up to five years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines. The Sacramento District Attorney's Office is prosecuting this case.
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