A New Jersey man is now facing the consequences for attempting to obtain tens of thousands of dollars from his insurer for property that never actually went missing as he had claimed it did.
Casey M. Wendling, 28, of Millville, N.J., filed a false vehicle theft claim to Lincoln General Insurance Company after his 2007 Peterbilt tractor had “gone missing.” However, leaving the tractor on his property after filing the false claim didn't make things easier for Wendling.
Investigation revealed that the New Jersey State Police had located the tractor which was still in Wendling's possession. Wendling tried to throw off investigators by repainting the tractor, replating the vehicle with a vehicle identification number (VIN) plate from a different tractor, and obscuring digits on the engine's serial number so that they were unidentifiable.
Wendling pleaded guilty June 3 to third-degree insurance fraud and was sentenced August 19 to five years of probation and ordered to pay $52,978 in restitution.
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