A Lynnwood, Wash. man is charged with two counts of insurance fraud after claiming that car thieves made off with his $33,000 collection of silk neckties.
Carlton H. Wopperer, 49, told quite a whopper of a tale, claiming that three times in 9 years, thieves had stolen his collection of 212 silk neckties from his vehicle. On Jan. 5, 2009, Wopperer told the Mill Creek Police Department that his vehicle had been broken into while it was parked at a greeting card store, and all 212 ties had been taken. He claimed to have had all of that nifty neckwear in tow because he was taking them to a shop to see about having them sewn onto a quilt for display.
Wopperer then purchased replacement ties from Nordstrom, Butch Blum, Barneys New York, and Mario's of Seattle, submitting the receipts to his insurer, PEMCO Insurance. The company paid him $33,370 under the terms of a provision allowing for replacement cost of stolen items.
Six months later, on June 9, 2009, Wopperer reported a very similar crime. This time, he told the Everett Police Department that his 212 replacement ties that he'd purchased following the January theft had been stolen from his vehicle when he was moving. He subsequently filed an insurance claim for approximately $35,000.
All of this stolen silk led a PEMCO adjuster to check with the retailers concerning the case. After some investigation, it was discovered that most of the ties purchased in January had been returned almost immediately, many within minutes of buying them. State investigators interviewed store employees, documented the paper trail and referred the case to the Snohomish County Prosecutor's Office, where it became obvious that it was more than just a little buyer's remorse. In fact, the investigation revealed that there had been a third claim 9 years earlier, on June 19, 2000. That claim alleged that the collection of 212 silk ties had been stolen from Wopperer's car while it was parked at a mall, after which he was paid a $16,900 claim.
Because the fraud is above $5,000, Wopperer is charged with a class C felony and faces a penalty of up to five years in prison and/or $10,000. Unfortunately for Wopperer, the great cravat caper is coming to an end, but perhaps one of the ties will look nice against an orange jumpsuit.
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