A Virginia woman and her 21 year old son were sentenced to 10 years supervised probation after they filed a false auto insurance claim. The mother and son were also ordered to make full restitution of the $12,540 they received from their insurance company.
Tina Lynn Wilder Bryant, 44 filed a claim with GEICO stating she was involved in an automobile accident along with her son, Dustin Robert Surber, who she claimed was a passenger in the vehicle at the time of the accident. Not only did Bryant file a claim for her vehicle, but she also alleged Surber was injured in order to collect insurance for bodily injury.
An investigation by the Virginia State Police revealed that Surber had actually been the driver of the crashed vehicle, and Bryant had not even been in the vehicle when it was wrecked, making Bryant's insurance claim fraudulent.
According to a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police, Bryant feared that GEICO would not cover the damage to her car if her son was the driver, so she lied and said she was driving the car at the time.
Bryant and Surber were arrested and pleaded guilty to obtaining money under false pretense. Their probation will be extended until restitution is made in full to the insurance company.
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