Touchup Needed on This Work of Art

Marco Anthony Ambroselli, 33, of Sacramento surrendered to authorities after a warrant for his arrest was issued for one felony count of insurance fraud.

According to investigators from the CDI Criminal Investigations Branch, Traveler’s Insurance Company was paying claims for damage to personal property due to mold infestation at the Fairways Apartments in Citrus Heights, Calif., in the winter of 1998. Ambroselli, a resident of the apartment complex, submitted an estimate receipt for repairing an alleged 16th Century painting valued at $80,000.

In October 1998, Ambroselli informed Traveler’s that the painting had begun repair at A-Art’s Antiques in Folsom, Calif., and that the repair was estimated between $2,000 and $2,500. Since Ambroselli did not have a receipt to prove the entire cost of repair, Traveler’s paid him $2,000 rather than $2,500. In November 1998, he submitted a letter to the insurance company, allegedly by the owner of A-Art’s Antiques, requesting an additional $500 to complete the repair.

Investigators dug deeper, and interviewed the owner of A-Art’s Antiques. The owner admitted to providing an estimate to the Sacramento man, but he had never repaired the painting or signed for the additional cost of repair.

Traveler’s Insurance paid Ambroselli $58,541.72 for alleged property damage. The case remains open to further investigation.