A Putnam County, W. Va. man pleaded guilty to one felony count of insurance fraud for his involvement in disposing of his wife’s minivan by pushing it over a hill on Poplar Fork Road in January of 2007 according to W. Va. Insurance Commissioner, Jane L. Cline.
In November of 2007, three individuals were arrested in Putnam County for perpetrating the insurance fraud, Cline said.
W. Va. State Police arrested Diana K. Phillips, 52, and Charles Keith Phillips, 44, both of Hurricane, W. Va., and James T. Willis, 39, of St. Albans, W. Va. The three were arraigned on Nov. 26, 2007, and charged with one felony count of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and one misdemeanor charge of witness intimidation, according to Cline.
In addition to the first two charges, Phillips was also charged separately with one felony count of conspiracy to commit malicious wounding which is also related to the insurance fraud charges, Cline said.
Willis was also charged with obtaining a controlled substance under false pretenses due to an investigation by another law enforcement agency, according to Cline. The Commissioner said Willis pleaded guilty on Jan. 3 to one felony count of insurance fraud and was waiting to be sentenced when he passed away in late January.
Cline said Phillip’s plea agreement includes making restitution to Nationwide Insurance Company in the amount of $15,602.85. The charges against Diana K. Phillips were dropped as a result of the guilty plea by her husband.
Source: West Virginia Insurance Commission
Topics Fraud
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