Four indicted for insurance fraud scheme

Nov. 18--CHARLESTON -- A federal grand jury sitting in Charleston has indicted four defendants from McDowell County for federal insurance fraud crimes, United States Attorney Carol Casto announced Friday.

Windel Lester, 66, James Edward Lester, 47, Gregory A. Lester, 40, and Georgetta Lester, 41, all of Iaeger, were charged with federal crimes including conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, and mail fraud.

The indictment issued Wednesday alleges that between April of 2012 and April of 2014, the Lesters and others devised a scheme to defraud an insurance company by buying vacant properties, insuring the properties, setting fires to the properties in order to makes insurance claims, submitting false insurance claims, and receiving over $550,000 in insurance payments made on the false insurance claims, according to the court's press release.

The properties involved in the alleged fraud were a residence at 101 Smokeless Road in Matoaka, Mercer County, and 3542 Norwood Road in Huntington, Cabell County. The indictment also alleges that after the Lesters received the insurance money, they laundered the money through at least two banks in southern West Virginia. Windel Lester was a member of the board of directors of one of the banks.

If convicted, the Lesters face up to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering, and up to 10 years for money laundering. The fraud charges are punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. Conspiracy to commit arson carries a penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The use of fire to commit a felony carries a sentence of up to 10 years, or, in Windel Lester and James Lester's cases, a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for a second offense.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, according to federal court authorities.

See the Bluefield Daily Telegraph online later for more details on this story.

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