Iowa woman gets deferred judgement in fraud case

A Mason City woman received a deferred judgment and five years of probation on Thursday after pleading guilty to insurance fraud in January.

According to court records, 26-year-old Shavhona Porsha Whitmore was in an automobile crash Aug. 19, 2021, at the intersection of South Kentucky Avenue and 19th Street Southeast in Mason City.

The affidavit states Whitmore did not provide any proof of car insurance during the initial contact with police at the scene. After the officer walked away Whitmore allegedly accessed an insurance app on her phone and purchased insurance.

She then allegedly provided the insurance information to police. The insurance company later questioned the time and date of the crash in comparison to the time and date of the insurance purchase. Whitmore then allegedly sent a screen shot image to the insurer with an altered timestamp in an attempt to show she purchased the policy prior to the crash.

A civil penalty of $1,025 was imposed, but suspended.