A federal appeals court this month affirmed the conviction of a former Texas police chief who arranged the destruction of a personal vehicle, falsely reported it stolen, and received insurance proceeds.
The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a jury could find beyond a reasonable doubt that Christopher Filline, a police chief in Castroville, conspired
with a colleague to commit wire fraud. Filline argued the government failed to show there was agreement to a scheme between two parties.
In 2016, Filline and his wife were under serious financial stress, facing $30,000 in credit card debt, along with delinquent mortgage and other payments.
Filline’s wife drove a 2007 Lincoln Navigator, a car that Filline complained was a “piece of junk.” Ambrose Rymers, who worked under Filline as an animal-co
ntrol officer, testified that Filline asked him on several occasions to get rid of the Navigator.
Sympathetic to Filline’s financial troubles, Rymers contacted a cousin with a criminal background to help with destroying the vehicle.
The scheme was enacted on July 16, when Rymers’ cousin took the Challenger to a dead-end roa
d in Bexar County, doused it with gasoline, and set it on fire, while Rymers watched. The two drove away from the scene.
Filline reported the car was stolen first to his insurance agent before reporting the theft to the Ly
ttle Police Department. An officer with the police department found the reporting delay strange, while another office noted Filline’s behavior, calm and collected rather than upset, to be unusual.
The police department and Farmers Insurance opened separate investigations into the burning. A Farmers claims investigator found several red flags. Farmers d
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oes not usually encounter a stolen vehicle that is burned, the investigator testified, because burning a vehicle leaves no profit for the thief. Another red flag w
as Filline’s decision to contact his insurance agent before the police.
The claims investigator learned of Filline’s financial issues, facts that contributed to a potential motivation for insurance fraud.
However, the insurance and police investigations stalled for a lack of new leads, and Farmers agreed to pay Filline approximately $14,000 to cover the remainder of the Navigator’s loan.
Two years later, Rymers’ cousin was arrested on unrelated charges, and statements made during
the arrest led the Lyttle Police Department to reopen their arson investigation. Upon being interviewed, Rymers confessed and identified his cousin and Filline as co-conspirators.
Rymers recorded a conversation the next day with Filline, who expressed concern about the investigation. Filline was indicted by a grand jury on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
