On January 13, 2026, Office of Attorney General special agents arrested 42 year old David W. Summerville of Pulaski, PA and charged him with Insurance Fraud and Attempted Theft by Deception. According to the criminal complaint, on May 30, 2025, Summerville obtained a Permanent General Insurance (PGI) policy for his 2011 Toyota RAV 4, which was canceled for nonpayment in April 2025. On June 1, 2025, Summerville contacted PGI to file a motor vehicle accident claim, in which he claimed that while driving the RAV 4 with his wife in the evening on May 31, 2025, he struck a deer. Summerville said the deer strike caused extensive damage to the front end of his vehicle. He did not make a police report, and he was able to drive the vehicle back to his residence without needing it to be towed. On June 5, 2025, investigators conducted a recorded interview with Summerville, during which he stated that the deer strike occurred on May 31, 2025, and that there was no existing damage to his 2011 Toyota RAV4 prior to this deer strike. Summerville was asked to submit photos depicting the damage to his vehicle and any other photos he may have taken at the accident scene that would provide proof of the deer strike. Summerville replied that he would have his wife send in the two photos she took at the accident scene that showed damage to his vehicle and the deer on the roadway. The metadata from the photos that Summerville submitted had a time and date of May 24, 2025, at 9:41 P.M. This date is prior to both the inception of his PGI policy and the date he stated that the accident occurred. The claim was denied.
On January 13, 2026, detectives of the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office arrested 52 year old Jan D. Kim and 52 year old Yoon Sok Lim, each of Allison Park, PA and charged each with Insurance Fraud and Conspiracy. According to the criminal complaints, Lim was reportedly driving through a high school parking lot when she collided with another vehicle on June 3, 2025. The complaints state that the GEICO Insurance auto policy for Kim’s vehicle was canceled on May 9, 2025, due to nonpayment. On June 4, 2025, the defendants made payment to GEICO, reinstating the canceled policy. According to the complaints, it is alleged that Kim reported the accident to GEICO, claiming that it occurred on June 5, 2025, to appear that the GEICO policy was reinstated prior to the accident. Lim reportedly confirmed the false date during a recorded call on June 11, 2025, claiming he was unaware of the policy cancelation. GEICO denied the claim.
On January 12, 2026, Office of Attorney General special agents arrested 45 year old Elarie M. Bentler of Erie, PA and charged her with Insurance Fraud and Attempted Theft by Deception. According to the criminal complaint, on November 18, 2022, at 6:23 PM, Bentler and/or her boyfriend purchased a Progressive Insurance Company policy for his 2001 Ford F-350. Bentler was not listed on the auto policy associated with the Ford truck. On November 28, 2022, a Root Insurance insured contacted Progressive to report that she had been involved in an accident with a Progressive insured. The Root insured driver stated that on November 18, 2022, at or around 5:30 PM, she was struck by a vehicle operated by Bentler. On November 30, 2022, Progressive conducted a recorded interview with Bentler and her boyfriend. During the interviews, both stated that the insurance policy was purchased before the accident. Investigators obtained a copy of a Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) crash report that indicates the accident occurred at or before 6:03 PM and before the purchase of the auto policy. The responding PSP trooper explained that he notified dispatch at 5:27 PM on November 18, 2022, that he needed an incident number for a reportable crash involving a Ford F-350 and another vehicle. Moreover, the Root insured driver provided Progressive and investigators with her dash camera video footage that indicates the collision occurred at 5:18 PM (EST) on November 18, 2022. On December 6, 2022, Progressive notified the other involved driver that her claim was denied since the Progressive policy for the F-350 was not in force at the time of the accident.
On January 12, 2026, detectives of the York County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint charging 55 year old Roger Keister, Jr. of Dover, PA with Insurance Fraud. According to the complaint, Keister’s Progressive Insurance auto policy was canceled on December 8, 2025. Keister was reportedly involved in an auto accident with his vehicle on December 9, 2025, and, on December 12, 2025, Keister attempted to file a claim but determines that his policy lapsed. Keister applies to have the policy reinstated and allegedly signed a Statement of No Loss indicating that his vehicle had not sustained damage during the time his policy was lapsed. According to the complaint, based on the Statement of No Loss, Progressive reinstates Keister’s policy and Keister completes filing the claim. On December 18, 2025, Keister reportedly admitted that he signed the Statement of No Loss knowing his vehicle was damaged prior to his policy reinstatement.
On January 12, 2026, Office of Attorney General special agents arrested William J. Damato of Folcroft, PA and charged him with three counts of Insurance Fraud and two counts each of Identity Theft, Theft by Deception, Forgery and Attempted Theft by Deception. According to the criminal complaint, in August 2020, Damato obtained a $50,000 Globe Life Insurance policy insuring the life of an individual without her knowledge or permission, listing himself as the sole beneficiary. In April 2023, Damato submitted a claim on the policy and provided Globe Life with a death certificate in support of his claim. According to the complaint, when investigators contacted the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to verify the death certificate, they learned that the death certificate supplied by Damato was fraudulent, and that the purported deceased was alive and living in Pennsylvania. Globe denied the claim. When investigators interviewed the individual covered by the life insurance policy, she stated that she did not have life insurance coverage and that she did not pay premiums for the policy. Damato was present for the interview, and when investigators asked him what the relationship was between the individual and himself, he gave a general statement that they were friends and then stated he would like to speak to an attorney, at which point the interview ended. During a second interview with Damato and his attorney, Damato stated that the individual did not have knowledge of the life insurance policy or that he had even filed the insurance application, and that he had altered a valid Michigan death certificate. He also stated that he had drawn multiple premium payments from the individual’s bank account, forging her signature on multiple checks. During the investigation of these crimes, it was also discovered that Damato had also applied for another $50,000 Globe policy insuring the life of a fictitious person, while paying for that application with additional checks also stolen from the previously identified victim. Globe eventually refused to issue the requested policy when it could not verify the identity of the named insured.
On January 9, 2026, Office of Attorney General special agents arrested 32 year old Branden S. Battle of Pitcairn, PA and charged him with two counts of Insurance Fraud and one count of Theft by Deception. According to the criminal complaint, on September 14, 2024, Battle’s Progressive Insurance Company auto policy for his 2011 Nissan Maxima was canceled for nonpayment. On September 14, 2024, while driving the Maxima, Battle struck a 2018 Toyota Camry, insured by State Farm, that was parked and unattended in a Walmart parking lot in North Versailles, PA. At the scene, Battle provided his canceled Progressive auto policy information. On September 18, 2024, Battle reinstated his Progressive policy and signed a Statement of No Loss during the reinstatement of the policy. The driver of the parked Toyota Camry contacted his insurer, who contacted Progressive to file a claim. Progressive learned that the accident occurred during the cancellation period but paid $1,580.88 to the other vehicle’s owner. When investigators interviewed Battle, he allegedly acknowledged that he knew his policy was canceled when he had provided it to the other driver and that he had denied damage and/or accidents on the Statement of No Loss questions during the lapsed policy period.
On January 9, 2026, detectives of the York County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint charging 20 year old Leslie Martinez-Salazar of York, PA with Insurance Fraud. According to the complaint, on October 1, 2025, at 8:25 AM, York County’s 911 Center received a report of a crash. At approximately 8:26 AM, the defendant uses the Root Insurance app on her phone to complete the purchase of a new auto policy for her vehicle and, at 8:57 AM, a PA State Police trooper arrived on the scene of the crash reported to the 911 Center. The trooper’s crash report states that the defendant was one of the drivers involved. According to the complaint, the defendant again uses Root Insurance Company’s app to file a claim for vehicle damage, reporting that the crash occurred at 8:30 AM. It is alleged that the defendant purchased the Root Insurance auto policy after the crash occurred and that she lied about the time of the crash to reflect she purchased the policy prior.
On January 8, 2026, Office of Attorney General special agents arrested 32 year old Haven Wagner of Randallstown, MD and charged her with two counts of Insurance Fraud and one count each of Theft by Deception and Attempted Theft by Deception. According to the criminal complaint, on January 4, 2023, Wagner incepted a renter’s insurance policy with State Farm Insurance Company for her residence in Abbottstown, PA. On May 21, 2023, Wagner reported to State Farm that her residence had been struck by lightning and alleged that several items were damaged when the strike blew a surge protector. Wagner provided State Farm with a copy of a SERVPRO damage letter that totaled $10,256.05. State Farm issued an electronic payment in full to Wagner for the damage to her personal property at the residence in Abbottstown, PA. On August 3, 2023, Wagner incepted another renter’s insurance policy with State Farm, but for a different address in Abbottstown, PA. On October 2, 2023, Wagner reported similar circumstances on her new State Farm policy with that of the May 2023 claim. Wagner again alleged that several electronics were not working and submitted documentation that SERVPRO came to service her house. On October 9, 2023, State Farm spoke with Wagner via telephone concerning her address listed on the policy, and that they would send a State Farm representative to look over the property damage. Wagner then proceeded to withdraw the claim. On November 3, 2023, investigators discovered through the National Insurance Crime Bureau that Wagner had filed multiple lightning strike claims since the May 23, 2023, claim with State Farm, with addresses in Maryland and Pennsylvania, listing most of the same equipment as damaged on most of the claims.
On January 7, 2026, detectives of the York County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint charging 34 year old Cody W. Morgan of York Haven, PA with Insurance Fraud and Attempted Theft by Deception. According to the complaint, on July 16, 2025, Morgan began a claim for glass damage to his vehicle with his Progressive Insurance auto policy having a $500 deductible. Morgan did not complete filing a claim at that time. On October 28, 2025, Morgan reportedly lowered his comprehensive deductible to $100 and, on November 10, 2025, filed a glass claim for the same vehicle as in the July 2025 claim and reported the date of loss to be the same date, November 10, 2025. In a recorded phone conversation with a claims adjuster, Morgan reportedly was not able to explain the July claim for the same vehicle and stated that no one else had filed a claim. According to the complaint, Morgan reportedly admitted he gave Progressive the wrong date and that his vehicle’s windshield had been damaged since July 2025, when he began filing but never completed the claim.
On January 6, 2026, detectives of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Insurance Fraud Unit arrested 48 year old Tawanda Collier of Philadelphia, PA and charged her with Insurance Fraud, Forgery and Securing Execution. According to the criminal complaint, it is alleged that Collier registered her vehicle with a fake financial responsibility identification insurance card from Bristol West Insurance Company.