Attorney general sweeps up 42 on insurance fraud across state. One was from Centre County

April 06--Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced criminal charges against 42 people as part of a statewide sweep conducted by the Insurance Fraud department in March.

Shapiro has charged 244 people with insurance fraud in unrelated cases since he took office in January 2017.

"Insurance fraud is a serious crime that impacts consumers and policyholders across our Commonwealth," Shapiro said. "We will aggressively prosecute anyone who breaks the law by providing false information to an insurance company. When people commit insurance fraud, it causes premiums to rise for the folks who do follow the rules. It's wrong and we're taking action to stop it."

One of those charged was local.

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Tyler Hensal, 31, of Philipsburg, was charged with theft by deception, insurance fraud and tampering with records or identification.

The Centre Daily Times previously reported Hensal filed an insurance claim stating that a crash occurred after he obtained his policy. Police and the other driver involved in the crash confirmed that the accident occurred prior to Hensal obtaining the insurance policy.

He was arraigned before District Judge Allen Sinclair, who released Hensal on his own recognizance pending his appearance at a preliminary hearing.

Bret Pallotto: 814-231-4648, @BretPallottoCDT

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