An Ohio couple have been sentenced for devising a scheme to collect more than $2 million dollars in i
nsurance money by conspiring to set insured houses on fire, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Ohio announced.
Lonnie White, 48, from Willoughby Hills, Ohio, was sentenced to 53 months in prison by Chief U.S.
District Judge Sara Lioi after pleading guilty in August to the following charges as outlined in the indictment:
Conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud
Conspiracy to commit mon
ey laundering offenses
Conspiracy to use fire in commission of a felony
He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $2,375,861 in restitution. Chief Judge Lioi imposed the sentence Jan. 23.
White’s spouse, Lisa Ogletree, 48, was sentenced to five years of probation and 810 days of l
ocation-monitored home confinement after she pleaded guilty last August to Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud. Chief Judge Lioi imposed the sentence Jan. 28.
According to the indictment, White and Ogletree, either personally or through others, bough
t houses on the east side of Cleveland, transferred the properties to nominal owners with fake renters, insured the property for hundreds o
f thousands of dollars, arranged to set the house on fire, and submitted fraudulent insurance claims on the destroyed property. White arranged to intentionally set these houses ablaze to make them appear as if the fires were accidental.
After receiving the insurance payments for the fire damage, nominal owners distributed the funds to White and Ogletree, who then transferred the money t
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o other bank accounts for their own benefit and to further their scheme.
According to court filings, the scheme involved at least six fires and more than $2.3 million in fraudulent claims from 2013 to 2019.
However, over time, the technology “will indelibly alter” the landscapes of both insurance and legal industries, said Senior Director Gerry Glombicki.
“While AVs have moved beyond proof of concept, widespread adoption will take considerable time due to high costs, regulatory fragmentation, and consumer preferenc
es,” said Senior Director Gerry Glombicki. The current average U.S. vehicle age is almost 13 years, so it takes time for the fleet to turn over.”
Only a small fraction of vehicles on the road have high- or full-driving automation capabilities. Those that are on the pavement have proven to reduce the frequency of
accidents and the severity of bodily injuries. However, when repairs are needed after an incident, costs are significantly more expensive.
Fitch says AVs also introduce coverage confusion. Claims become more complex, with product liability additionally impacting manufacturers, designers, suppliers. Vehicle owners may also share liability.
“The absence of established legal precedent heightens risk, leaving liability and coverage decisions vulnerable to volatility,” Fitch said.