Gardner Couple Ordered to Complete Community Service in Staged Theft Insurance Fraud Case

The case against a Gardner man was continued without a finding for one year on a charge of motor vehicle insurance fraud.  He was ordered to complete twenty hours of community service.  The case against a Gardner woman was continued without a finding for six months on a charge of motor vehicle insurance fraud.  She was ordered to complete twenty-five hours of community service.  The Gardner woman reported to Safety Insurance Company that her 2017 Toyota Rav 4 was stolen and later found vandalized.  She reported that she was driving off road with her boyfriend, the Gardner man, when the Toyota broke down.  Local police recovered the stolen Toyota and determined that it had been dragged further down the trail from where it was reported to be parked.  A forensic analysis determined there was evidence of water ingestion in the Toyota’s air intake, resulting in a seized engine.  No damage was found to the Toyota’s ignition system.  Further investigation revealed the Toyota was not a functioning automobile when it was reported stolen.  The Gardner woman stated that she never went off-roading in the Toyota.  The Gardner man denied that the Toyota was driven into a mudhole.  The Gardner woman later admitted that the Toyota became inoperable after being driven through a large puddle.