Woman charged with theft, filing false insurance claim

A Vancouver woman is accused of filing a false insurance claim after allegedly purchasing the insurance policy less than an hour after rear-ending another driver.

Alexandria Villanueva, 23, has been charged in Clark County Superior Court with one count each of filing a false insurance claim and attempted first-degree theft. The charges were filed following an investigation by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s Criminal Investigations Unit, he announced Friday.

Villanueva rear-ended another driver in December 2016, and afterward sent the other driver a photo of her GEICO insurance card.

Villanueva’s 2001 Kia Rio was a total loss, and the other driver’s 2015 Subaru Outback sustained more than $6,700 in damage. Both drivers filed claims with GEICO, according to the investigation.

However, GEICO’s records show Villanueva purchased her policy 45 minutes after the crash. GEICO referred the case to Kreidler’s investigations unit as required by law, a news release from the state Office of the Insurance Commissioner says.

The investigations unit looks into insurance fraud and works with the Washington Attorney General’s Office and local prosecutors on criminal cases.

According to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner, insurance fraud costs the average family $400 to $700 per year in increased premiums.