This week, in-laws Clarence Roberts and Danielle Miller both pled to counts of insurance fraud 1st degree. The defendants failed to list previous claims when completing new insurance applications. Roderick Reed, a Deputy State Fire Marshal, uncovered these discrepancies during the course of an arson investigation in Mount Vernon, Alabama. After realizing that material information had been withheld on insurance applications, the case was submitted to the District Attorney’s Office’s White Collar Crime Unit. The unit was established with the specific purpose of dealing with incidents like this one.
The Insurance Fraud Act’s legislative intent reads :
These laws were enacted to protect Alabama insurers and the community from fraudulent behavior. Both defendants were charged with class B felonies. Since this is the first felony for either one of the defendants they will serve a probation period and pay restitution to the affected insurance companies.