Md. Man Sentenced in Insurance Scam Against State Farm

Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr., reported that Mark Jason King, 35, of Brandywine, Maryland received a probationary disposition after his plea of guilty to one count of felony insurance fraud.

He was placed on 18 months supervised probation and ordered to pay $25,000 in restitution to the State Farm Insurance Company and perform 50 hours of community service. The charges followed a joint investigation by the Insurance Fraud Division of the Maryland Insurance Administration and the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.

King tendered the guilty plea and was sentenced on Feb. 23, 2005. According to the statement of facts presented in support of his guilty plea, King admitted to authorities at the National Security Agency (NSA) during a security clearance investigation in 2005 that he burned his 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe in August of 2002 and reported it stolen to his insurance carrier. State Farm paid $38,126.13 in benefits, mainly to the lien holder. NSA then reported the fraud to Maryland State authorities.

Immediately after imposing the sentence, King tendered payment of restitution to a representative of State Farm who was present for the plea hearing.