OLYMPIA, Wash. - A Tacoma man is facing attempted theft and
insurance fraud charges after filing a $20,000 claim for a fictitious dead cat,
using pet photos he lifted off the internet.
"We've handled some pretty unusual fraud cases, but this is
one of the stranger ones," said Insurance Commissioner Mike
Kreidler.
Yevgeniy M. Samsonov, 29, has been charged with first-degree
attempted theft and felony insurance fraud in Pierce County Superior Court.
Arraignment is set for July 11.
On March 27, 2009, Samsonov was involved in a minor traffic
accident in Tacoma. A driver behind him was stopped at a traffic light when her
foot slipped off the brake. Damage to both vehicles was very minor.
Samsonov filed a claim that included chiropractic treatment
of soft tissue injuries. The other driver's insurer, PEMCO, paid him
$3,452.
Two and a half years later, Samsonov sought additional
payment from PEMCO. He said that in addition to the vehicle damage and medical
claim, his beloved cat Tom had been in the car and killed in the
accident.
The company issued him a check for $50 to compensate him for
the cat.
Samsonov then told PEMCO that he'd paid $1,000 for the cat,
who'd been like a son to him. He wanted to be paid $20,000.
He sent the company two photos he said he'd taken of his cat.
A PEMCO claims representative did a Google Images search and
discovered identical cat images appearing on websites, blogs and Facebook pages.
The two images Samsonov submitted are actually of two different cats. One is
named Lacy. Neither belonged to Samsonov.
PEMCO canceled its $50 check and forwarded the case to
Kreidler's anti-fraud unit.
Image Provided To Pemco By Samsonov
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