A woman in Plymouth pleaded guilty to committing insurance fraud by falsifying the death of her ex-husband.
Irina Vorotinov, 49, was indicted of defrauding over $2 million from Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company.
She pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to fraud on Monday, CBS Minnesota reported.
In 2010, Vorotinov’s former husband Igor Vorotinov purchased a $2.05 million life insurance policy from Mutual of Omaha, naming her and her son as beneficiaries.
The following year, an anonymous phone call tipped law enforcers in Moldova on the location of a decayed body somewhere near the entrance to Cojusna village. Police found a passport, hotel cards, and contact numbers on the body that belonged to Igor. Vorotinov traveled to a morgue in Moldova, where she confirmed that the corpse was her husband’s.
The criminal complaint said that after the payout for her claim, Vorotinov transferred over $1.5 million of the money she received to bank accounts in Switzerland and Moldova.
Detroit custom agents seized her son’s computer in 2013, which revealed digital photographs of Igor alive and well, dating from spring 2013.
“The hard work of the agents on this case illustrates the ability of the United States government to effectively investigate complex international crimes. Would-be fraudsters should be warned that it is very difficult to steal millions of dollars from United States insurance companies with impunity,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Maclaughlin in a statement.
