Phoenix, AZ – On Tuesday, June 13, 2017, the Arizona Department of Insurance (ADOI) Fraud Division arrested Mr. Marcel Deweaver on allegations of fraud schemes, theft, insurance fraud and identity theft.
Between August 2015 and June 2017, Mr. Deweaver allegedly filed over 120 fraudulent claims with multiple insurers. After obtaining vehicles through various auto dealerships, Deweaver allegedly had the vehicles covered under fraudulent insurance policies that he obtained under stolen identities, and paid premiums with fraudulent debit and credit cards; then would intentionally damage the safety glass of the vehicle and file a claim. Deweaver allegedly shopped around to different independent glass installation shops for ones that offered the highest incentives, up to $150 per claim, to fix the damages. The total loss to the insurance companies is believed to exceed $52,000 in fraudulent claims.
Deweaver was arrested Tuesday afternoon after the Arizona Department of Insurance Fraud Division developed information that Deweaver was in a 2012 Ford Explorer that he fraudulently obtained from a local dealership. The vehicle came to the attention of the ADOI Fraud Division after seven separate insurance claims had been filed within a month. After locating the vehicle in an apartment complex, ADOI agents requested assistance from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) once they realized Deweaver was in the vehicle and it exited the parking lot. In an odd turn of events, after believing that he was being followed, Deweaver pulled off onto the shoulder of the interstate seeking assistance from a DPS officer involved in a traffic stop, at which point ADOI agents took him into custody.
Marcel Deweaver was booked at the Maricopa County Jail and is being held on charges of fraud schemes, theft, insurance fraud and identity theft. The ADOI Fraud Division would like to thank National Insurance Crime Bureau for their assistance with the investigation, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety for their assistance in making the arrest.