Attempted auto insurance fraud gets Meadville man probation

Oct. 04--A Meadville man has received probation for pleading guilty to attempted theft by deception for trying to deceive his auto insurance company about hitting a deer last winter.

Jacob J. Walters, 29, was sentenced Tuesday in Crawford County Court of Common Pleas by Judge Mark Stevens to serve two years probation plus pay a $250 fine and court costs.

On Aug. 28, Walters entered the guilty plea to attempted theft by deception for trying to obtain more than $2,000 on an insurance claim filed with GEICO in December 2016. Walters had faced up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for the charge.

A plea agreement reached by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, which prosecuted the case, and Joseph Ferguson, Walters' defense attorney, recommended to the court that Walters be sentenced to probation and pay court costs since Walters had not obtained the money.

Walters was charged by the attorney general's office in February with third-degree felonies of insurance fraud and attempted theft by deception after Walters claimed he struck a deer on Dec. 1, 2016, causing damage to his vehicle after he had obtained the insurance policy. The investigation found the vehicle damage happened several weeks prior to Walters obtaining insurance, according to the attorney general's office.

Walters faced up seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine if convicted on each of the original charges. For Walters' guilty plea, the attempted theft by deception was downgraded to a first-degree misdemeanor and the insurance fraud charge was dropped.

Keith Gushard can be reached at 7246370 or by email at [email protected].

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