A 63-year-old man pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court on May 14 to felony attempted theft in connection with a fraudulent auto insurance claim, according to a news release from state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler.
Gary Lee Havens of La Center was ordered to pay $800 in court costs. He was charged with first-degree attempted theft and perjury in September 2014 following an investigation by Kreidler’s Special Investigations Unit.
According to the news release, Havens filed a claim with PEMCO Insurance after his vehicle was apparently broken into at the SeaTac Marriott Hotel in March 2011 while he was attending a conference. He claimed that 106 items totaling $45,277 were stolen from his vehicle. He subsequently submitted receipts and photos to prove he owned the items.
However, the investigation unit found that seven of the photos were taken in April 2011, a month after Havens filed his claim. The value of those items, which included a camera bag, computer, nail gun and circular saw, was $8,728, the news release stated.
A King County Sheriffs’s Office report states that Havens also only reported four items stolen on the day of the break-in, the news release said.
