September 29, 2016
A Little Rock, Arkansas, woman has been sentenced to a three-year prison sentence after being convicted of felony insurance fraud in a case involving a reported car accident involving a U-Haul rental vehicle.
The Arkansas Insurance Department says that two others involved in the scheme are awaiting trial and two more thought to be participants are still being sought.
The AID reported that Chemer Beene, 35, was sentenced in Pulaski County Circuit Court for her participation in a 2015 scheme to collect insurance payouts from Repwest Insurance Co. from a purported vehicle crash.
According to AID, on Sept. 30, 2015, Schanise Allen, 37, of Little Rock rented a U-Haul vehicle, purchasing the “Safe Move” insurance plan offered through Repwest. Later that same day, Allen reported that she rear-ended a Dodge Challenger driven by Johnathan Summons, 32, of Little Rock on Scott Hamilton Drive in Little Rock.
Beene was a passenger in the vehicle driven by Summons, the AID reported. She was joined in the vehicle by Marquis Jones, 20, of Little Rock and Hilary Johnson, 19, of Little Rock.
All five individuals made medical claims against Repwest from the reported accident with Summons also submitting a claim for damage to the rear left bumper of his vehicle.
Eight days prior to the accident, Summons filed a separate claim for rear left bumper damage to his vehicle with a separate insurance company, submitting pictures documenting the same damage attributed to the September 30 wreck.
Allen told investigators she did not know any of the passengers in Summons’ vehicle while Johnson, Jones and Beene said they did not know Allen.
Investigators later determined that Allen and Beene lived across the street from each other and that Beene and Jones are Facebook friends with Allen. Warrants for felony insurance fraud were issued against all five individuals.
Jones was arrested on Sept. 17, 2016, in England and is awaiting trial in Pulaski County Circuit Court. Summons is being detained on an unrelated charge and is awaiting trial. Allen and Johnson remain at-large.
Source: Arkansas Insurance Department