Pair Of Iowa Men Charged With Felony Insurance Fraud

By Staff Reports

A pair of Iowa men were charged recently with trying to defraud insurers.

Demarius Deshawn Mallett, 34, of Hiawatha, Iowa, has been charged with one count each of Insurance Fraud – Presenting False Information (Class D Felony), Forgery (Aggravated Misdemeanor), Fraudulent Practices – 2nd Degree (Class D Felony), and Tampering with Records (Aggravated Misdemeanor).

The charges are a result of an investigation conducted by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau which began in July of 2021. In criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, it is alleged Mallett submitted a forged and falsified hospital billing statement, increasing the dollar figure by $6,000, for various medical procedures in an effort to defraud the insurer of monetary insurance benefits to which he would not have otherwise been entitled.

On Aug. 11, Mallett was ordered to appear in the Iowa District Court for Linn County. Trial will be set for a future date and no additional details will be provided at this time.

In a separate case, Scott Edwin Thomas Sr., 45 of Des Moines, Iowa, was charged with one count each of Insurance Fraud – Presenting False Information (Class D Felony), Insurance Fraud – Application Fraud (Class D Felony), and False Report of an Indictable Offense to a Public Entity (serious misdemeanor).

The charges are a result of an investigation conducted by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau which began in April of 2021. According to criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, it is alleged Thomas made false statements to an insurance company in order to obtain insurance coverage on a motorcycle which was no longer in his possession.

It is alleged Thomas later filed an incident report with the Des Moines Police Department stating the motorcycle had been stolen from his residence. Thomas then utilized the stolen vehicle report as evidence of the theft in an effort to obtain monetary insurance benefits due to the loss of the motorcycle to which he was not otherwise entitled.

On August 2, 2021, Thomas was arrested and was booked into the Polk County Jail. Thomas was later released from custody after posting an $11,000 bond. Trial will be set for a future date and no additional details will be provided at this time.