Woman Convicted of Fraud for Misrepresenting Date of Accident

An Iowa woman who filed a claim for damage that occurred after she purchased an auto insurance policy was convicted last week for felony insurance fraud, according to the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau.

Jennifer Lea Fuentes, 43, was arrested on Aug. 15 by the Sioux City Police Department and booked into the Woodbury County Jail. On Thursday, Fuentes received a deferred judgment, was placed on probation for two years, ordered to complete 75 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay a $750 civil penalty, the division said in a press release.

Fuentes’ conviction follows an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau that began in July of 2018. The investigation concluded that while Fuentes was backing her vehicle out of a parking stall at her place of employment her vehicle collided with another vehicle that was traveling through the parking lot.

At the time of the accident Fuentes did not have insurance coverage. Later the same day, Fuentes purchased insurance coverage online and failed to disclose that she had been in a collision hours earlier.

Three days after the accident occurred Fuentes filed a claim with her insurer and intentionally misrepresented the date of the accident.