Thomas Nichols, Jr. was charged with obtaining property by false pretense, insurance fraud, and felony conspiracy. His sister, Wanda Covington, was charged with felony obtaining property by false pretense, insurance fraud, and felony conspiracy. Both were placed under $10,000 unsecured bonds their county's sheriff's department.

OHIO
Octofraud

It may not be surprising that insurance fraud is on the rise, but a recent investigation in Ohio has set the bar high for punishing low-life fraud suspects.

The Ohio Department of Insurance and a number of other agencies tracked down three individuals, each with a long list of insurance claims. Luther Watts, and Lysandrous Mullins, Jr. of Ohio, and Patricia Mullins of West Virginia, have filed claims for just about everything, including acts of arson, theft, auto accidents, and disability claims.

Investigators were right to be suspicious, as it was also revealed that the three suspects were running schemes through local car dealerships. Using fraudulent documents and employment information, the suspects bought cars at the dealerships and took out credit disability insurance.

Soon after obtaining the vehicles, the suspects would contact their insurance carrier and report an injury or disability. In order to maximize the length of time the insurance company would have to pay on the vehicle, the suspects would alter disability forms obtained from their provider and submit them to the insurance carriers.

As it turns out, it's the three suspects that will end up paying the maximum for what they did. Each of the three is charged with eight counts of insurance fraud.