Two motorists from Bremerton were each charged in Kitsap County Superior Court with one count of first-degree attempted theft, filing a false insurance claim and criminal conspiracy, the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner said in a statement.
The two were charged thanks to the efforts of Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU).
Crystal M. Truemper, 29, rear-ended the 2005 Pontiac GTO of Andrew R. Washburn, 29, while driving in Silverdale on Sept. 21, 2015. Truemper then asked Washburn to hold off on filing an insurance claim, as she did not have insurance on her automobile.
According to a statement by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner, Truemper purchased insurance from Esurance later that day, and then told Washburn to proceed with filing a claim. The next day, Washburn took his car to a shop for a written repair estimate.
On Sept. 24, Washburn filed a claim with Esurance for the damage to his car, asserting that the collision occurred that morning. Both he and Truemper repeatedly told the insurer that the collision happened on Sept. 24—three days after it actually occurred. Washburn, however, revealed to the insurer that he had already received a repair estimate from the shop, suspiciously dated Sept. 22.
The two are set to appear in court on Aug. 9.
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