Twenty-one people are behind bars in Western Pennsylvania, charged with felony insurance fraud in a wide-reaching scam that ripped off insurers and drove up costs for honest policyholders. The sweep, led by the Office of Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud Section, exposes a network of lies, forged receipts, and phony claims stretching from Monroeville to State College. Attorney General Josh Shapiro isn’t mincing words: “It’s wrong, and we’re taking action to stop it.”
Among the accused: Bonnie Shaner, 56, and Gordon Wade, 56, both of Crabtree, who claimed $19,600 in stolen property — including a Sony Bravia LED TV and a Select Comfort Bed — from Shaner’s parked car. Investigators found no record the items were ever purchased or stolen. Both admitted to doctoring receipts submitted to their insurer. Fraud doesn’t get more blatant.
Then there’s Bahram Panahiazar, 62, of Monroeville, a former rep at Western & Southern Financial Group. Between 2014 and 2016, he filed 22 fraudulent insurance applications to pocket commissions. He resigned after getting caught — but not before nearly securing $17,000 in illicit payouts in just one year. That’s cold-blooded greed masked as paperwork.
The charges across the board are no slap on the wrist. All defendants face third-degree felony counts for insurance fraud, a crime that carries up to seven years behind bars and fines up to $15,000. Others charged include Stephanie Barron, 39, Shontae Bell, 29, Kari Bertolina, 34, Alice Butler, 56, and Cynthia Demharter, 59. Each name on the list is a thread in a larger web of deception.
Shapiro’s office says this takedown is part of a broader crackdown. In 2017 alone, 163 people have been charged with insurance fraud statewide. Courts have already ordered over $774,500 in restitution — money clawed back from scammers who thought they could game the system. But the damage runs deeper: fraud inflates premiums for every law-abiding driver and homeowner.
These cases remain pending. But one message is clear: fake claims, forged documents, and fabricated losses won’t fly in Pennsylvania. The AG’s office is watching. And when fraudsters strike, they’ll come down hard. For the 21 now facing felony charges, the cost of cheating just got a whole lot higher.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: Pennsylvania AG
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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