CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – In a stunning exposé of white-collar crime, eight individuals have been charged with federal mail fraud for their alleged role in a $249,000 insurance fraud scheme. The charges stem from an investigation that spanned three North Central West Virginia counties, according to Acting United States Attorney Betsy Steinfeld Jividen.
The defendants, all hailing from different parts of the state, are accused of conspiring to stage vehicular accidents between January 2012 and August 2014 in Harrison, Taylor, and Marion Counties. They then filed false insurance claims, an act that investigators believe was executed with a level of sophistication usually reserved for more violent crime.
Named among the accused are Dallas Lewis, 55, from Clarksburg; Martin Stoneking, 25, of Fairmont; Charles Bonner, 34, from Morgantown; Bryce Martin, 26, also from Fairmont; Eric Warner, 34, and Chasity Costilow, 38, both from Clarksburg. The elder Stoneking is Robin Stoneking, 56, and Michael Sine, 34, are of Fairmont.
Andrew R. Cogar, Assistant U.S. Attorney, is spearheading the prosecution for the government. Joining forces with him in the investigation were the West Virginia Insurance Commission Office of Inspector General and the United States Postal Inspection Service. It’s a case that underscores the breadth of organized crime, even in seemingly mundane sectors like insurance.
As always, an indictment is merely an accusation. Each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
This grim revelation has sent shockwaves through the community, as many struggle to comprehend how such a scheme could be carried out with such success over several years. The charges are serious and reflect the government’s zero-tolerance stance on financial crimes that undermine public trust and deplete insurance funds.
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Related Federal Cases
- Morgantown Insurance Agent Robert Altmann Sentenced in Fraud Scheme · West Virginia
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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