Chelsea Woman in Insurance Fraud Case Gets Nine-Month Probation

The case against a Chelsea woman was continued without a finding for nine months on charges of motor vehicle insurance fraud, attempt to commit a crime, and false report of a crime.  She was ordered to pay a $90 victim witness fee.  The Chelsea woman reported to Metropolitan Property & Casualty Insurance Company that on October 21, 2019 her 2018 Hyundai was involved in a hit and run accident causing damage to the entire driver side.  The Chelsea woman stated that a red Ford struck the Hyundai when she attempted to pull from a parked position and that the red Ford fled the scene.  She stated that she had a friend in the rear passenger seat of the Hyundai when the loss occurred.  The damage did not appear to be consistent with vehicle-to-vehicle contact.  It was also suspected that the Chelsea woman was using her Hyundai for a rideshare program at the time of the loss which is an exclusion on her policy.  Investigation revealed that surveillance video from a store near the loss location captured the Chelsea woman’s Hyundai parked with an unknown male passenger entering the back seat prior to leaving the scene.  A Lyft emblem was observed on the front window of the Hyundai.  A red Ford consistent with the vehicle described by the Chelsea woman drove past her vehicle.  The video provided no evidence of a collision.  In addition, a forensic collision analysis concluded that the loss was consistent with a sideswipe with a fixed object.  The passenger stated that he was a Lyft passenger in the Chelsea woman’s Hyundai when the accident took place.  The Chelsea woman acknowledged that she had driven for Lyft in the past, however she denied that she was driving for Lyft when this loss occurred.