Two women are facing charges after faking a fall in order to collect a hefty settlement from a Florida grocery store.
Johnella Howard, 72, demanded $300,000 in cash from the Brevard County Publix store due to injuries that she claimed were from a slip-and-fall in the store last December. While businesses sometimes make quick payouts to customers injured on their premises to avoid lawsuits, this case seemed a little shaky.
Before the claim was paid out, authorities conducted an investigation, which is where Howard's whole story started falling apart. Her bogus accusations placed blame on Publix, alleging that there was liquid spilled and left unattended, which is why she lost her footing and was injured.
Unfortunately for Howard, she did slip-up, but it wasn't in any accident – it was in overlooking the fact that there was a security camera aimed in her direction at the time of the "fall," and believing that she could get away with fraud.
The security camera footage showed Howard entering the store with her 68-year-old caregiver Susan Snow. The two enter an aisle where Howard rubs her foot in a liquid on the floor, sits down, and fixes her hair before she lays on the floor as though she's fallen. While Howard is preparing for her star role, her accomplice is keeping watch and blocking the scene from view of other shoppers. When Howard has "fallen" into place, Snow pushes her cart through the store trying to find help for her friend. (Click here to watch the video)
Investigators said the staged fall is part of a growing trend in the area. Six people in Brevard County have been arrested just in the last two months for faking falls at supermarkets and gas stations. Perhaps Howard and Snow's case can serve as a cautionary tale for those considering heading down that slippery slope to a life of crime. The two were arrested and face up to 35 years in prison for criminal conspiracy, grand theft, and insurance fraud charges.
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