|
January
31, 2002 A Winnipeg man's bizarre scheme to defraud Manitoba Public Insurance has landed him in jail and having to pay a hefty fine and restitution order. Michael Allan Sutherland, 19, was fined $3,500 and ordered to return $21,809 to the public auto insurer after pleading guilty today in provincial court to fraud over $5,000, mischief over $5,000, possess goods obtained by crime and breach of court orders. He was also sentenced to a 90-day intermittent sentence. Another Winnipeg man, Marc Theodore Lafantaisie, 36, received a fine of $3,500 and was ordered to pay $21,809 restitution to MPI for his role in the scheme. He also pleaded guilty to mischief over $5,000. "This is a crime which affects everyone who owns a car and pays insurance," Judge Mary Curtis told court. Last April, Sutherland reported to MPI that his 1991 Chevrolet Lumina had been stolen. The vehicle was found two weeks later with heavy interior and exterior damage. After being estimated by MPI, the vehicle was subsequently towed to an auto body shop where it was awaiting repair. Court was told that on May 30, 2001, Sutherland and Lafantaisie stole a 1998 GMC 4x4 truck from the parking lot of a Winnipeg hotel. The two then drove to a Winnipeg auto body shop, where they crashed the stolen truck into Sutherland's already damaged Lumina. After leaving the body shop, the stolen truck crashed into a Hydro pole where it sustained heavy damage. An eyewitness noticed two men ¾ later identified as Sutherland and Lafantaisie ¾ get out of the truck, carve graffiti into the truck body and then leave. Due to a number of irregularities with Sutherland's theft claim, MPI's Special Investigation Unit opened an investigation. An independent collision reconstructionist later confirmed that the 1998 GMC 4x4 had caused the damage to the Lumina. Manitoba motorists saved about $5 million in 2000/01 thanks to MPI's anti-fraud SIU. The figure is based on an estimate of money recovered and fraudulent claims denied. Last year, Manitoba's justice system levied $125,000 in fines, while MPI's seconded Crown Attorney secured $166,000 in restitution orders from Manitoba courts. Contact:
|