New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty in Stolen-Tractor Fraud

A New Jersey man has pleaded guilty to fabricating the theft of a tractor and collecting an insurance claim on it, state prosecutors said.

Casey M. Wendling, 28, of Millville, admitted that he submitted a fraudulent vehicle theft claim to Lincoln General Insurance Co. claiming his 2007 Peterbilt tractor had been stolen, when, in fact, he knew it was not.

The scam was uncovered when New Jersey State Police located the tractor: Wendling still had it, but it had been repainted and the Vehicle Identification Number had been altered.

Wendling pleaded guilty to charges of third-degree insurance fraud and a plea agreement calls for him to serve probation and pay $52,978 in restitution.

He will be formally sentenced in August.