Pa. Man Nabbed in Fraud Scam

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett announced that agents from the Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud Section have filed criminal charges against a Berks County man accused of submitting tampering with a police accident report and submitting a false insurance claim.

Corbett identified the defendant as Daniel Solt, 39, of Barto. Solt is the proprietor of Solt Gardens Inc. of the same address.

According to the criminal complaint, Solt obtained commercial automobile coverage for vehicles used at his business through the Donegal Mutual Insurance Company. Two days following the effective date of his policy, Solt filed a claim for an accident that resulted in substantial damage to his 2002 Chevrolet Silverado.

Corbett said the defendant submitted a Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) accident report to the Donegal Mutual Insurance Company, in order to substantiate his $22,498 insurance claim for the damaged vehicle.

During the course of the investigation, agents from the Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud Agents learned that the date on the accident report had reportedly been altered.

Corbett said the original PSP accident report was dated April 20, 2004, which was seven days prior to the effective date of Solt’s insurance coverage with Donegal Mutual Insurance Company.

The charges allege that the report that was submitted by Solt to the insurance company had been altered to indicate that the accident had occurred on April 29, 2004, which was two days after Solt’s insurance coverage went into effect.

Donegal Mutual Insurance Company denied the claim and no payment was made.

The defendant is charged with one count of insurance fraud and one count of criminal attempt to commit theft by deception.

Solt was preliminarily arraigned before Boyertown Magisterial District Judge Michael Hartman and released on $20,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 9, 2005 before Hartman.