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Tow Company Co-Owner Charged with Defrauding Insurer
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 On December 8, 2023, Vlad Ungvari was arrested in Bucks County. This action resulted from a collaborative investigation conducted by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General. According to the criminal complaint, Ungvari, a co-owner of Glenn’s Towing, Inc., presented a fraudulent invoice for services to Traveler’s Indemnity Company. The complaint stated that following a February 28, 2023 accident in Warrington Township, police contacted Glenn’s Towing to remove the disabled Toyota Camry that was insured by Travelers. The responding tow operator allegedly winched the Toyota Camry to the tow truck, picked up debris, and departed approximately 8 minutes later. According to the complaint, the Camry was then towed to a storage yard in Warrington Township. The complaint stated that on March 3, 2023, Travelers declared the vehicle a total loss and used a salvage vendor to tow the Camry to the vendor’s facility. Glenn’s Towing allegedly provided the salvage vendor with an invoice for services totaling $1,865.00. The complaint stated that Travelers questioned the amount on the invoice and asked Ungvari to provide a summary of each charge. Ungvari allegedly sent an email to Travelers detailing the purported services and charges. According to the complaint, an investigation revealed that Ungvari had inflated the amount of the debris removed from the accident scene, the number of tow trucks utilized, and the amount of work and time that had been involved in removing the vehicle from the scene. The complaint stated that Ungvari met with investigators at the Warrington Township Police Department on March 24, 2023. When police confronted Ungvari with their investigative findings, Ungvari allegedly responded: “I let it slide. I messed up on that.” According to the complaint, Ungvari admitted to police that he had no way of verifying the statements on the tow invoice. Ungvari was charged with one count of Insurance Fraud (F3), one count of Unlawful Use of a Computer (F3), one count of Criminal Use of a Communication Facility (F3), and one count of Theft by Deception (M1). |
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 On December 28, 2023, Detra Bush was arrested in Philadelphia County. According to the criminal complaint, on February 11, 2023, at 9:26 PM, Bush electronically purchased an automobile policy from Progressive Insurance for her 2018 Mercedes-Benz. On February 14, 2023, at 2:30 PM, Bush allegedly telephoned Progressive and reported that she had been driving her Mercedes in Philadelphia between 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM on February 13, when another car sideswiped her vehicle. Bush allegedly claimed that the driver of the other car fled the scene, but she did not call the police because no one was injured. During a subsequent recorded interview conducted by Progressive, Bush allegedly told the insurer that the accident occurred on February 13, 2023, between 3:30 PM and 4:00 PM, and that she took photos and a video immediately following the accident. According to the complaint, Bush subsequently provided photos and a video to Progressive, which showed the damage to her Mercedes. Progressive representatives reviewed the submission and, according to the complaint, the video’s metadata revealed that the video was taken at approximately 8:25 PM on February 11, 2023, which was prior to the inception of Bush’s coverage. During a second recorded interview, Bush allegedly denied that her car was damaged before the reported February 13 accident. According to the complaint, when Bush was asked why the video metadata indicated that her Mercedes had been damaged two days earlier than she had claimed, Bush was unable to offer an explanation. Progressive denied the claim. Bush was charged with one count of Insurance Fraud (F3), one count of Criminal Attempt / Theft by Deception (F3), one count of Criminal Use of a Communication Facility (F3), and one count of Insurance Fraud (M1).
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 On December 27, 2023, Michael Jaurigue was arrested in Montgomery County. According to the criminal complaint, on July 22, 2022, Jaurigue purchased a Progressive Insurance automobile policy for his 2013 Infiniti G27, which provided coverage from July 29, 2022 through January 29, 2023. However, Jaurigue allegedly failed to pay his premium, and the policy was canceled on November 25, 2022. The complaint stated that on November 27, 2022, Jaurigue was driving his Infinity at a high rate of speed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Bucks County, when the car flipped over and struck a cement center median. Pennsylvania State Police and an ambulance responded to the accident scene. According to the complaint, Jaurigue was transported to a hospital where he was treated for minor injuries. During the afternoon of November 27, Jaurigue allegedly used Progressive’s online system to pay his overdue premium. According to the complaint, at 3:12 PM, Jaurigue signed a statement indicating that his vehicle had not been involved in any accidents during the lapse in his coverage. Progressive reinstated the policy at 3:12 PM on November 27, 2022. The complaint further stated that on November 29, Jaurigue contacted Progressive and reported that his vehicle was involved in a crash at 8:30 PM on November 27, which was after the reinstatement of his lapsed coverage. According to the complaint, an investigation revealed that the accident actually occurred at 8:48 AM, six hours before Jaurigue’s policy reinstatement. Progressive denied the claim. Jaurigue was charged with one count of Insurance Fraud (F3), one count of Criminal Attempt / Theft by Deception (F3), one count of Criminal Use of a Communication Facility (F3), and one count of Insurance Fraud (M1).
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 On December 26, 2023, Monique Jefferies was arrested in Dauphin County. According to the criminal complaint, on August 19, 2022, Jefferies purchased an automobile policy from Progressive Insurance for her 2022 Black Honda Civic. During her application for coverage, Jefferies allegedly reported that her vehicle had no existing damage. The complaint stated that Jefferies contacted Progressive on April 22, 2022, and reported that her Honda was damaged in a hit-and-run accident in Maryland, which she had discovered the day before. According to the complaint, investigators located a Baltimore City Police accident report, which revealed that Jefferies reported the accident to 911 on April 18, 2022. Investigators contacted the owner of the striking vehicle, who allegedly stated that he had paid Jefferies $4,750.00 out of pocket to cover the cost of the damages to her Honda. The driver allegedly provided investigators with a letter from Jefferies dated April 19, 2022, memorializing the payment, as well as photos of Jefferies’ damaged vehicle. Progressive denied the claim. Jefferies was charged with two counts of Insurance Fraud (F3) and one count of Criminal Attempt / Theft by Deception (F3).
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 On December 19, 2023, Cody Bishop was arrested in Perry County. According to the criminal complaint, on November 3, 2022, at 3:15 PM, Bishop purchased a Progressive Insurance policy covering his 2020 Volkswagen Jetta. At the time of inception, Bishop allegedly stated that his vehicle had no pre-existing damage. On November 3 at 4:33 PM, Bishop allegedly used his cell phone to contact Progressive and report that the front passenger side of his Jetta had been damaged by a deer strike that occurred just a few minutes before. According to the complaint, Bishop provided photos of his damaged vehicle to Progressive. Investigators reviewed the photos and found that the metadata from some of the pictures indicated that those photos had been taken on October 26, 2022, prior to the inception of Bishop’s policy. Progressive denied the claim. Bishop was charged with one count of Insurance Fraud (F3) and one count of Theft by Deception (F3). |
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  On December 14, 2023, Danny and Miranda Harrell were arrested in Schuylkill County. According to the criminal complaint, on October 15, 2022, the Harrells’ GEICO Insurance automobile policy covering a 2010 Toyota Venza was canceled for non-payment. On November 5, 2022, at approximately 3:15 PM, Danny Harrell allegedly obtained full coverage for the Venza from Progressive Insurance. The complaint stated that on November 5, at 9:30 PM, Mr. Harrell filed an auto claim with Progressive and stated that the Venza had been damaged by a deer strike that had occurred on I-81 on November 5 at 8:30 PM. According to the complaint, Mr. Harrell claimed that police did not respond to the accident. During a recorded statement taken by Progressive investigators on November 11, 2022, Mr. Harrell allegedly maintained that the accident had occurred on the evening of November 5 at approximately 8:30 PM, and that he had purchased the policy earlier in the day, prior to the deer strike. On November 17, 2022, in a recorded statement to Progressive, Miranda Harrell allegedly stated that the Progressive policy had been taken out a day or two prior to the accident on November 5. According to the complaint, Ms. Harrell also told the insurer that she worked on November 5, until 2:00 PM, and then drove home to prepare for an anniversary dinner. Investigators interviewed the manager at the hair salon where Ms. Harrell was employed. According to the complaint, the manager told investigators that Ms. Harrell had advised that she would not be at work on Saturday, November 5, because the Harrells’ vehicle had been in an accident on Friday, November 4, 2022. During a second recorded interview, Mr. Harrell allegedly admitted that the vehicle was uninsured at the time of the accident. Progressive denied the claim. Miranda and Danny Harrell were each charged with one count of Insurance Fraud (F3), one count of Criminal Conspiracy (F3), and one count of Criminal Attempted / Theft by Deception (F3).
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  On December 12, 2023, Ronald Valentine and Jessica Showalter were arrested in Bedford County. According to the criminal complaint, on January 22, 2022, Valentine was incarcerated after he was arrested on an outstanding warrant in Bedford County. On January 30, 2022, Showalter contacted Progressive Insurance and allegedly reported that an accident had occurred when her 2000 Volkswagen Beetle slid on the icy driveway at Valentine’s residence and struck the garage door and air conditioning unit at the home. During the claim process, Showalter allegedly reported to Progressive that the accident caused damage to her vehicle’s hood and rear passenger side. According to the complaint, after Progressive investigators conducted an examination of Showalter’s vehicle and of Valentine’s residence, the investigators concluded that the damages described by Showalter were inconsistent with their findings. That same day, Progressive contacted Valentine’s arresting officer. According to the complaint, Progressive learned that the officer who transported Valentine to jail allegedly asked him about Showalter’s Volkswagen. The complaint stated that Valentine informed the officer that the Volkswagen was inoperable and that he had been working on the car to get it running before his arrest. Investigators reviewed several recorded telephone conversations, which took place from January through March 2022, between Showalter and the incarcerated Valentine. During one of the recorded calls, Showalter allegedly told Valentine that she and a friend were going to damage the Volkswagen to make it look like her car had struck his garage door. The complaint stated that Showalter also told Valentine that she planned to report to Progressive that her VW slid in Valentine’s driveway and struck the house. Valentine allegedly agreed to go along with the plan. According to the complaint, the investigation revealed that the Volkswagen was not in working condition and the accident did not happen. Progressive denied the claim. Valentine and Showalter were each charged with two counts of Insurance Fraud (F3) and one count of Criminal Attempt / Theft by Deception (F3).
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 On December 7, 2023, Jaheim Coley was arrested in Allegheny County. According to the criminal complaint, on July 30, 2020, Coley’s aunt purchased an automobile policy from GEICO Insurance for Coley’s 2019 Ford Fusion. Coley allegedly was operating the Fusion in Pittsburgh on May 16, 2022, when the vehicle was involved in a collision at 6:43 PM. The complaint stated that Coley reported to GEICO that another vehicle ran a stop sign, and the resulting crash damaged the front and right side of the Fusion. On September 7, 2022, GEICO issued payment in the amount of $4,450.07 to Coley’s aunt. According to the complaint, Coley’s aunt cashed the check on September 15, but did not repair the damages to the Fusion. On November 27, 2022, at 2:50 PM, Coley allegedly used GEICO’s online claim system to report that he had been driving the Fusion at approximately 2:00 PM that afternoon when it was sideswiped by another vehicle, which then fled the accident scene. The complaint further stated that Coley advised GEICO that all the damage to the Fusion resulted from the November 27 hit-and-run accident. Investigators compared photos of the Fusion from the November 27 claim with photos from previous claims that involved the Fusion. The investigators allegedly determined that the Fusion’s right side damage appeared to be identical in photographs from the November and May claim files. According to the complaint, investigators determined that Coley misrepresented to GEICO at the time of the November 27 claim that the Fusion had no pre-existing damage. GEICO denied that claim. The complaint further stated that on February 1, 2023, Coley’s grandmother purchased a new Progressive Insurance policy for the 2019 Ford Fusion. On March 15, 2023, a person who allegedly claimed to be Coley’s grandmother filed a claim with Progressive for vandalism damage to the Fusion. The complaint stated that Progressive took several recorded telephone statements in support of the vandalism claim from the person who claimed to be Coley’s grandmother. According to the complaint, investigators learned that the damage to the Fusion actually occurred during the course of an argument between Coley and his mother. Coley, in the presence of his attorney, allegedly told investigators that he believed that his aunt had repaired the initial collision damage to the Fusion prior to the purported November accident. Regarding the March 15, 2023, vandalism claim, Coley allegedly admitted to investigators that he made the claim and that he had claimed to be his grandmother when he made the recorded telephone statements to Progressive. Progressive denied the claim. Coley was charged with two counts of Insurance Fraud (F3) and two counts of Criminal Attempt / Theft by Deception (F3).
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 On December 6, 2023, Joseph Winiarski was arrested in Franklin County. According to the criminal complaint, on March 10, 2022, Progressive Insurance canceled the policy covering Winiarski’s 2005 Chevrolet Silverado for non-payment. On December 28, 2022, Winiarski allegedly was driving his Silverado when it became involved in an accident with a 2013 Kia Optima. According to the complaint, the owner of the Kia filed a claim with Progressive on December 28, 2022, at approximately 3:20 PM, and stated that her daughter had been driving the Kia when a Chevrolet Silverado backed into the vehicle. The complaint further stated that the Kia’s driver advised that Winiarski asked her to wait until the next day to contact the insurer and to tell Progressive that the accident occurred on December 29, 2022. At 4:03 PM on December 28, 2022, Winiarski allegedly purchased a new policy from Progressive for his Silverado. According to the complaint, when a Progressive representative spoke with Winiarski, the representative advised that the Kia driver had filed a claim for the accident before Winiarski purchased coverage for his Silverado. Winiarski allegedly disputed that information and adamantly maintained that the accident occurred after the inception of his policy. The complaint stated that Winiarski advised the Progressive representative that he wanted to speak with the other driver to correct the discrepancy regarding the time of the accident. According to the complaint, Winiarski later called Progressive and asked to withdraw the claim. Winiarski was charged with one count of Insurance Fraud (F3), one count of Criminal Attempt / Theft by Deception (F3), and one count of Insurance Fraud (M1). |
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 On December 20, 2023, Nicolas Brown was sentenced in Dauphin County after entering a negotiated plea to one count of Theft by Deception (M1). Brown filed a claim with Progressive Insurance Company on June 3, 2021, in which he stated that the passenger side of his 2021 Toyota Corolla was damaged in a hit-and-run accident. On June 4, Brown supplied Progressive with photos and a video of the damage. Brown received $1,251.95 in claim proceeds. On July 16, 2021, Brown filed another claim with Progressive in which he stated that a hit-and-run driver caused damage to the passenger side of his car. Brown provided the insurer with photos of the damage and a short video. Progressive paid Brown $1,889.34 for this claim. On August 10, 2021, Brown filed a third claim for hit-and-run damage to the passenger side of his vehicle. Again, Brown provided the insurer with photos and a video of the damage. Investigators compared the photos and video from all three claims and found that the damage appeared to be the same in each. Brown was sentenced to serve 12 months of probation and was ordered to pay $1,889.34 in restitution to Progressive.
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 On December 18, 2023, Anita Bines was sentenced in Philadelphia County after entering a negotiated plea to one count of Insurance Fraud (M1). On May 24, 2019, Bines obtained coverage for a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee from NJM Insurance. On October 9, 2021, Bines submitted a claim to NJM for damage to the exterior of her Jeep and provided the insurer with photos. NJM issued a check payable to Bines and Capital One Auto Finance in the amount of $6,998.23. The insurer confirmed that the check had been cashed and that it cleared on November 9, 2021. On Saturday, February 5, 2022, Bines contacted NJM from a cellular number and reported that her 2017 Jeep had been stolen. NJM interviewed Bines, who stated that the vehicle was “in good shape” and denied knowledge of any prior damage to the Jeep. The Philadelphia Police Department recovered the Jeep and notified Bines that the vehicle was found unlocked and unoccupied. The police also advised her that the Jeep had front and rear exterior damage, damage to the gearshift, and burn damage to the rear passenger seating area. NJM received and reviewed photographs that were taken when the Jeep was recovered. The photographs revealed that the damage to the Jeep was the same damage that NJM paid to repair in October 2021. When NJM contacted Bines on February 7, Bines claimed that she had not been notified of the Jeep’s recovery. She also claimed to have repaired the earlier damage to the Jeep before it was stolen. Investigators asked Bines to provide NJM with documentation of the repairs, but she failed to do so. Bines was sentenced to serve three years of probation and to perform 50 hours of community service. She was ordered to pay restitution to NJM Insurance in the amount of $1,056.00 and to pay all court costs.
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 On December 18, 2023, Kelly Ree was sentenced in Luzerne County after entering an open plea to one count of Insurance Fraud (F3) and one count of Identity Theft (F3). On May 6, 2020, Ree used another person’s identity to receive medical treatment at a Geisinger Hospital. Geisinger billed the victim’s insurer, Capital Blue Cross, approximately $4,627.00 for the medical treatment that Ree received. Ree was given a split sentence of 6 to 18 months incarceration in Luzerne County Prison. She was paroled on the day of her sentencing and was ordered to serve an additional period of 24 months of probation, following her parole. Ree also was ordered to perform 15 hours of community service, pay restitution in the amount of $4,627.00 to Capital Blue Cross, and pay the cost of prosecution. |
 On December 11, 2023, Heather Ellinger was sentenced in Clearfield County after entering an open plea to one count of Criminal Attempt / Theft by Deception (M1). On September 13, 2021, Ellinger was involved in a single vehicle accident while driving her 2013 Hyundai Veloster. Police and a tow truck responded to the scene of the accident. At approximately 9:30 AM that same day, Ellinger purchased coverage for her Hyundai from Progressive Insurance Company. On September 14, Ellinger filed a claim and advised the insurer that her Veloster had been involved in an accident earlier that day. Ellinger sent photographs of the damaged vehicle to Progressive. The photo metadata contained a time stamp of 12:38 PM on September 13. Investigators obtained copies of the police crash report and towing company records, which revealed that the accident actually occurred at approximately 7:34 AM on September 13, 2021, prior to the inception of Ellinger’s policy. Ellinger was sentenced to serve 24 months of probation. She was ordered to pay a fine in the amount of $300.00, along with court and prosecution costs.
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 On December 11, 2023, Holly Hamm was sentenced in Adams County after entering an open plea to one count of Insurance Fraud (F3) and one count of Criminal Conspiracy (F3). Hamm purchased stand-alone health care policies from Highmark through the Affordable Care Act. Between January 2020 and March 2022, Hamm made a total of thirty-eight premium payments to Highmark, all of which were returned by the bank, either due to insufficient funds or because the accounts had been closed. Highmark allegedly mailed correspondence to Hamm on multiple occasions over the two-year period, but never received any response. Highmark processed and paid a total of approximately $223,307.08 in medical claims pursuant to Hamm’s policies. On the first count, Hamm was sentenced to a period of 10 to 20 days in Adams County Prison, followed by a consecutive term of 7 years of probation. On the second count, Hamm was sentenced to three years of probation which was made concurrent to her sentence on Count 1. Hamm was made jointly and severally liable with her codefendant for the payment of restitution to Highmark in the amount of $113,254.74.
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 On December 8, 2023, Darrell Watkins was sentenced in Montgomery County after entering a negotiated plea to one count of Theft by Deception (F3) and one count of Accidents Involving Damage to Attended Vehicle (M3). On November 2, 2020, Watkins contacted his vehicle insurer, Progressive Insurance, and advised that he was driving his truck on October 31, 2020, when he lost control and the vehicle struck a utility pole. Progressive eventually paid more than $10,000.00 to repair the damage to Watkins’ truck. Several months later, Progressive was contacted by Second Look, a subrogation company acting on behalf of National General Insurance Company. Second Look reported to Progressive that on October 31, 2020, Watkins’ truck struck a parked car that was insured by National General. According to Second Look, the impact caused the parked car to strike another parked vehicle. Second Look provided Progressive with a video and a photo taken by a witness, which showed Watkins’ truck leaving the accident scene. Investigators examined the metadata in the photo and determined that it was taken on October 31, 2020, minutes before Watkins reported that his truck struck a utility pole. Progressive then re-interviewed Watkins and asked him to explain how the accident occurred. Watkins told Progressive that he had been out of town on October 31, and that a friend took his truck without Watkins’ permission. Watkins added that the friend later told him that the truck had been involved in an accident. Watkins claimed that he could not provide Progressive with contact information for his friend. Watkins was sentenced to three years of probation. He was ordered to pay $500.00 in restitution to the owner of the vehicle insured by National General, and all court costs.
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 On December 5, 2023, Lynnee Wilson-Smith was sentenced in Chester County after entering a negotiated plea to one count of Theft by Deception (M1). On August 5, 2021, Wilson-Smith’s automobile policy with the Permanent General Assurance Corp (The General) was canceled for non-payment. On September 1, 2021, at 6:23 PM, Wilson-Smith reinstated her coverage. On September 3, Wilson-Smith filed a claim with The General in which she stated that her vehicle had been damaged during a flood. In a subsequent statement recorded by a representative of The General, Wilson-Smith said that the damage occurred on either September 2 or September 3, 2021. An investigation revealed that the flood actually occurred before Wilson-Smith reinstated her policy. Wilson-Smith was sentenced to serve 12 months of probation and to complete 50 hours of community service. She was ordered to pay a $250.00 fine and all courts costs.
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Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD)
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During the month of December, 5 additional defendants received
Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD).
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Anti-Fraud Compliance
Reporting of Insurance Fraud to Law Enforcement Agency
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Pennsylvania Bulletin Notice 2016-04 (issued April 30, 2016) reminded insurers of their obligations to report suspected arson or insurance fraud to law enforcement agencies within the Commonwealth. The bulletin also announced a decision by the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance to allow licensees to satisfy their reporting obligation when they electronically submit reports of suspected fraud to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).
On July 6, 2017, Pennsylvania began participating in this online service which enables member companies to electronically forward reports of suspected fraud to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud Section or other appropriate law enforcement agencies at the same time the companies report suspicious claims to the NICB. NOTE: The NICB is not a law enforcement agency. Therefore, a licensee cannot satisfy the fraud reporting requirement by submitting a non-electronic (paper) referral only to the NICB.
Important: When utilizing electronic filing through NICB, users should take careful note of the provided instructions regarding the “Party” to a claim. Information entered about a Party will only be transmitted to law enforcement if users select one of two options: “This Party was subject to an SIU investigation” or “This Party was subject to an enforcement action.” Some users have missed this notation about individual Party data and consequently have submitted incomplete information to law enforcement.
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