An Army officer stationed in Alaska has been accused of filing nearly half a million dollars in phony insurance claims over about three years.
Lt. Col. Christopher DeMure, 40, has been charged with mail and wire fraud and money laundering, according to a report by Alaskan television affiliate KTVA. DeMure commands the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, which is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson near Anchorage. Authorities allege that DeMure made more than $475,000 in false insurance claims – and received almost $400,000 – between September of 2014 and February of this year.
The US Attorney’s Office alleged that DeMure’s scam involved claims made to military insurer USAA Federal Savings Bank, as well as American Express. Authorities said that in one incident, he claimed more than $215,000 in fictitious losses from a U-Haul van he said was burglarized when he moved to Alaska from Fort Benning, Ga., KTVA reported.
“DeMure spent much of the insurance payout money to pay off automobile loans, credit cards, mortgage loans, and other debts and expenses, including a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban and a 2016 Audi A7,” prosecutors said in a statement.
If convicted, DeMure faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
