Former Owner of Neb. Glass Company Charged with Insurance Fraud

The Nebraska Department of Insurance recently reported that Douglas County Attorney Donald W. Kleine filed criminal charges against Thomas J. Dimitroff, the previous owner of Metro Glass Incorporated, an Omaha-based provider of auto glass replacement and repair.

Dimitroff was arrested March 23 on five felony counts of insurance fraud. He is charged with five felony counts of fraudulent insurance acts pursuant to Neb. Rev.Stat. §28-631. Four of the five counts are Class III felonies, potentially carrying a sentence of a minimum of one-year imprisonment to a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment, or $25,000 fine, or both. The remaining count is a Class IV felony potentially carrying a sentence of up to five years’ imprisonment, or $10,000 fine, or both.

Dimitroff is accused of submitting fraudulent invoices for auto glass repair and replacement to five different property and casualty insurance companies. The fraudulent billings are alleged to have occurred over a period spanning three years, from March 2004 to March 2007, resulting in a loss of approximately $90,000. In all, 151 victims have been identified in a scheme in which Dimitroff is accused of submitting fraudulent invoices on behalf of, and without the knowledge of, consumers to the companies and/or their third-party administrators for payment.

The investigation of Dimitroff was conducted by the Nebraska Department of Insurance, Fraud Prevention Division, in conjunction with the Douglas County Attorney’s Office.

“The costs involved in paying fraudulent auto glass claims are often passed on directly to the insurance-buying public in the form of premium payments,” stated Tim Wagner, director of the state insurance department. “The goal of the Department of Insurance is to decrease premiums going towards paying those fraudulent claims. We are pleased to work with the Douglas County Attorney’s Office in fighting insurance fraud in our community.”

Source: Nebraska Department of Insurance