Washington Insurance Fraud Cases Result in Guilty Pleas

Two insurance fraud suspects pleaded guilty and one suspect entered a diversion program after investigations by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s Criminal Investigations Unit.

Abdikarin A. Mohamed pleaded guilty in King County Superior Court to one count of filing a false insurance claim. The judge sentenced him to 15 days in a King County work crew program and unsupervised probation for 24 months. He was ordered to pay $500 in court fees.

Detectives arrested Mohamed in 2018 after he spent 206 days on Washington state’s insurance fraud most wanted list.

Officials charged Mohamed in October 2017 in connection with filing a false renter insurance claim for nearly $9,500 worth of electronics and jewelry that he said were stolen from his vehicle. The investigation showed that Mohamed claimed two items he didn’t own–a Movado watch and a Canon camera.

Homesite Insurance denied the claim and referred the case to Kreidler’s CIU.

Tristan Stone pleaded guilty in King County Superior Court to one count of filing a false insurance claim. The judge sentenced him to serve six days in jail with five days of community restitution and to pay $600 in court fees. Additional restitution will be determined at a future hearing date.

Officials charged Stone in June 2018 in connection with filing a false renter insurance claim. According to the investigation, Stone, who also uses the name Sjon Paul Laferriere, reported a burglary at his apartment in July 2016. He first reported stolen 11 items valued at $15,000; he later amended his claim to 76 items valued at $27,259. The photos he submitted to prove he owned some of the items were taken after the date he reported them stolen. Homesite Insurance denied the claim and referred the case to Kreidler’s CIU.

Tara Tillett entered into a diversion agreement with Yakima County Superior Court for two felony charges of first-degree attempted theft and filing a false insurance claim. If she complies with the terms of the agreement, the charges against her will be dropped in May 2020.

Officials charged Tillett in February 2019 in connection with filing a fraudulent auto insurance claim. According to the investigation, Tillett’s son caused a two-car collision in April 2018 while driving her 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer. At the time of the collision, the Trailblazer and two other cars on Tillett’s auto policies didn’t have collision coverage. Tillett added collision coverage eight minutes after the accident and filed a claim with PEMCO the next day for $5,368 in damage. PEMCO denied the claim and referred the case to Kreidler’s detectives.

Kreidler’s CIU investigates insurance fraud and works with the Washington State Patrol and state and local prosecutors on criminal cases.