Court gives police officer slap on wrist for false theft claim

An officer with the Prince George’s County Police Department will spend five years on probation and pay $15,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to a single count of insurance claim fraud. David Wayne Johnson, 43, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Circuit Court May 18, according to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. The judge in the case imposed a five-year suspended sentence for the officer and he must also complete 100 hours of community service.

While off duty, Johnson reported his 2006 Toyota Tacoma truck stolen in Oxon Hill, Md., Sept. 3, 2006. He then filed a claim with Erie Insurance Group, claiming the vehicle had been stolen, and a month later, received $25,019 from the insurer. On Jan. 24, 2009, the truck was recovered in Cleveland, Ohio, and the man driving the vehicle, Joe Houston, told police that Johnson gave him $1,000 to get rid of the truck but he instead kept it. Johnson confirmed Houston’s account to the Maryland Insurance Administration’s Insurance Fraud Unit and Maryland State Police, indicating he filed a false claim with Erie. SOURCE: IFAwednews