A Sacramento man was arrested by the CDI’s Organized Auto Fraud Interdiction Task Force on charges of auto insurance fraud. An Oregon man who allegedly acted as an accomplice is expected to surrender to authorities on the same charges.
Lance David Urke, 39, surrendered to authorities and was booked into Sacramento County Jail on one felony count of allegedly defrauding an insurer. His accomplice, Laurent Gregory Warnshuis Jr., 41, was also expected to surrender to authorities on one felony count of defrauding an insurer.
On May 27, 2002, Oregon State Police contacted the Task Force with information that Warnshuis had driven his 2001 Dodge Ram Truck from Oregon to Sacramento on May 24, 2002, for the purpose of stripping it, reporting it stolen and filing a false insurance claim. Investigators learned that Warnshuis’ truck had been reported stolen to Sacramento Police Department on May 25, 2002, and recovered by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) on May 26 in Willows, Calif. Warnshuis’ insurer, Progressive Insurance reported that he filed a theft claim for his 2001 Dodge truck on the same day it was reported stolen.
On May 28, Task Force Investigators, along with CHP, the National Insurance
Crime Bureau (NICB) and District Attorney Investigators, investigated the site of Urke Plumbing in Sacramento, where the alleged dismantling of the truck took place. It was also the alleged location where the removed parts were stored. After obtaining consent to search from the owner of Urkes Plumbing, who is also Lance David Urkes’ father, investigators located the engine, transmission, seats, radio and other parts that were removed from Warnshuis’ truck. Investigators interviewed Urke, who confessed to stripping the truck along with Warnshuis, then dumping it in Willows. Urke explained that he and Warnshuis were old friends and that Warnshuis was allegedly in financial trouble due to a failed marriage, business, and increased insurance rates.
Warnshuis allegedly telephoned Progressive Insurance and investigators to confess to his false vehicle theft and fraudulent insurance claim after he had returned to Oregon. As a result of Warnshuis’ false claim, Progressive denied a potential loss of over $21,000.
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