Media Contact: Don Harris, Public Information Officer, (602) 912-8402

For Immediate Release Oct. 25, 2000

An investigation by the Arizona Department of Insurance Fraud Unit led to no-contest pleas Friday by three owners of Advantage Auto Glass L.L.C. in connection with indictments charging them with defrauding 33 insurance companies out of $134,061.

The scam involved filing insurance claims for work on vehicles that was not completed or even started. Court documents indicate that the fraudulent activity took place from April 14, 1999, to Aug. 24, 1999.

State Insurance Director Charles R. Cohen said the filing of fraudulent insurance claims impacts all honest consumers. “Fraudulent insurance claims affect the rates we all pay,” Cohen said. “Fraud contributes to higher premiums for everyone.”

No-contest pleas to charges of filing a fraudulent insurance claim were entered in Maricopa County Superior Court by Charles Frank Fuller of Scottsdale, and Brian Tod (correct) Bailey and Paul Lialios, both of Tucson. Fuller, as president of Advantage Auto Glass, entered a no-contest plea on behalf of the company to fraudulent schemes. Advantage Auto Glass was located in Phoenix.

Filing a fraudulent insurance claim is a class 5 felony, and is punishable by a maximum of 2.5 years in prison and a fine of $150,000. Fraudulent schemes is a class 2 felony, punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of $1 million.

If the plea agreement is accepted by the court, defendants will be sentenced to supervised probation and ordered to pay the insurance companies up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1.

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