Arkansas Woman Pleads Guilty in Fake U-Haul Crash Case

An Little Rock woman has negotiated a plea in an insurance fraud case involving a 2015 reported car accident involving a U-Haul rental vehicle and fraudulent insurance claims, Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Allen Kerr announced.

According to the Arkansas Insurance Department, Hilary Johnson, 30, of Little Rock entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count of insurance fraud on May 2 in Pulaski County Circuit Court. She was sentenced to three years of probation, a $500 fine, court costs, and 30 hours of community service for her participation in a 2015 scheme to collect insurance payouts from Repwest Insurance Co. from a purported vehicle crash.

The insurance department described the series of events that led to Johnson’s plea agreement:

On September 30, 2015, Schanise Allen, 37, of Little Rock rented a U-Haul vehicle, purchasing the “Safe Move” insurance plan offered through Repwest.

Later that evening, Allen reported that she rear-ended a Dodge Challenger driven by Johnathan Summons, 33, of Little Rock on Scott Hamilton Drive in Little Rock.

Johnson was a passenger in the vehicle driven by Summons. She was joined in the vehicle by Marquis Jones, 20, of Little Rock and Chemer Beene, 36, of Little Rock. All five individuals made medical claims against Repwest from the reported accident with Summons also submitting a claim for damage to the rear left bumper of his vehicle.

In September, Beene was sentenced to 36 months in the Arkansas Department of Corrections. In December, Jones pled no contest to one count of insurance fraud and was sentenced to three years of probation. Summons is scheduled for trial on June 8 and Allen remains at large.

Source: Arkansas Insurance Department