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West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner Cracking Down on Fraudulent Certificates of Insurances

2/11/08 - CHARLESTON, WV – West Virginia Insurance Commissioner, Jane L. Cline, announced today that with the cooperation between the West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and the West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner’s Fraud Unit, instances of fraudulent certificates of insurance being presented as true documents for automobiles are being aggressively pursued.

The latest prosecutions involving fraudulent certificates of insurance involve two recent guilty pleas. In a Raleigh County Magistrate Court on February 1, 2008 Shelia Carey, age 42 of Beckley, pleaded guilty to providing a fraudulent certificate of insurance after attempting to renew her vehicle registration with the fraudulent document. Ms. Carey was fined $235.50 plus court costs.

In a Hampshire County Magistrate Court on February 4, 2008 Karl D. Keller, age 50 of Slanesville, pleaded no contest to providing a fraudulent certificate of insurance when trying to renew his vehicle registration at a regional West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles office. Mr. Keller was fined $100 plus court costs for his plea.

Commissioner Cline stated, “This type of fraud continues to raise the cost of auto insurance rates for all citizens in the state and cannot be tolerated. We are committed to aggressively investigate and prosecute any and all types of insurance fraud through out the State of West Virginia. Individuals who fraudulently provide certificates of insurance will be aggressively pursued in order to protect West Virginia consumers who carry the required insurance levels.”

Note: In Nevada, verifications of automobile coverage are done by an official identification card on a form approved by the Insurance Commissioner.

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