Monthly Archives: <span>May 2005</span>

D.C. Man Pleads Guilty to Setting Pair of Apartment Building Fires, One Aggravated Assault

United States Attorney Kenneth Wainstein announced that Gregory Bellas, 26, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in D.C. Superior Court before the Honorable Rafael Diaz to two counts of arson and one count of aggravated assault. The defendant, who faces a …

Farmers Insurance Unveils Auto Accident Kit

Farmers Insurance Group of Companies is offering a new Farmers Auto Accident Kit – available to customers of Farmers and to the general public. This kit contains many items that someone may need in the event they are in an …

Fla. Disability Applicant Lied, Charged With Fraud

A man who allegedly lied on his application for disability income insurance and then filed a claim one week after getting the policy is facing felony charges of application fraud, first-degree grand theft and first-degree insurance fraud. Bruce Sutherland, 43, …

N.J. Man Pleads Guilty to $27,000 Fraud Scheme

New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice Director Vaughn McKoy announced that a Warren County man has pleaded guilty to falsely reporting the theft of his Land Rover and attempting to collect more than $27,000 in insurance money as part of …

NTSB to Hold Public Hearing on Mo. Airlines Accident

The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a three-day public hearing on the 2004 Jefferson City, Missouri, accident involving a Bombardier Regional Jet operated by Pinnacle Airlines. The hearing will convene at 9 a.m. on Monday, June 13, at the …

N.D. Gov. Notes Assistance to Firefighters Grant to Aid the Minot Fire Department

North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven announced the Minot Fire Department will receive a $94,752 grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the seventh round of the Fire Prevention and Safety grants, part of the fiscal year 2004 Assistance …

K-9 ‘Misty’ to Help Combat Arson in Central Florida

A 2-year-old black Labrador Retriever has joined the State Fire Marshal’s Office to help combat arson-related crimes throughout Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Volusia, Brevard and Lake counties. Misty is one of six certified arson dogs in the State Fire Marshal’s Office, …

Fla. CFO Issues Warning: ‘Prepare Now for Hurricanes’

After an unprecedented hurricane season last year and experts predicting the formation of more than 13 named Atlantic storms this season, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher is issuing a warning to consumers: Prepare now. The official start of hurricane …

Caliber Collision Centers Open New Calif. Locale

Caliber Collision Centers, an Irvine, Calif.-based operator of collision repair facilities in California and Texas, announced the opening of a 90,000 square foot, collision repair center located in Santa Monica, California. According to Dan Pettigrew, president and CEO of Caliber, …

Survey Says One-Fifth of Americans Unhappy with Claims Customer Service

One-fifth (20 percent) of Americans who have filed property or casualty claims during the past three years are not satisfied with the way their insurance companies handle their claims, according to results of a survey released by Accenture and SAP. …