Auto Fraud—Colorado

Amount: Up to $100,000

A long-time police officer who served more than two decades in Pennsylvania, most recently as a corporal in the town of Silt, Colorado, has pleaded guilty to two felony charges for allegedly making false insurance claims.

The officer had been on administrative leave from his job even before his arrest for on-duty injuries he had suffered. It is undetermined if he can remain a town employee as a result of his guilty plea. He is accused, and has admitted to, making three deceptive insurance claims from 2010 to 2015, and receiving thousands of dollars in insurance payouts over that time period. In one incident, he made a false police report saying that someone stole jewelry from his wife's car, and he received almost $10,000 in an insurance payout. He was also reimbursed for a “stolen” Rolex watch that was actually a knock-off, and he submitted a claim for a diamond ring after he had the diamond replaced with a cubic zirconium stone. His false claims over the years amounted to an undetermined amount that exceeds $50,000. He was charged with three counts each of insurance fraud, felony forgery, and felony theft after an investigation by the Attorney General's office.