Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has announced the sentencing of an Idahoan convicted of Insurance Fraud.
On Thursday, December 14th, First District Judge John Luster sentenced 60-year-old Pat W. Benson of Coeur d’Alene. A jury convicted Benson on October 19th.
Judge Luster sentenced Benson to a unified term of three years, with one year fixed and two years indeterminate. The sentence was suspended and Benson was placed on two years probation. Judge Luster also ordered the defendant to serve 30 days in jail and 50 hours of community service. Benson was ordered to pay $5,177 in restitution to Allstate and $300 in court costs.
On December 3, 2014, Benson was responsible for an auto accident in Coeur d’Alene. At the time of the accident, his vehicle was not insured. While still at the accident scene, he called Allstate to add the vehicle to his insurance policy. During the subsequent claim investigation, Benson falsely stated that the accident occurred after he called to add the vehicle to his policy. Dispatch and cell phone records confirmed that the accident occurred before the call to Allstate.
The case was investigated by the Idaho Department of Insurance and Prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Jessica Cafferty of the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Unit.
(story and photo: KHQ.com)