Woman charged in fraud case
A Washington woman was charged by an agent with the state attorney general’s office with insurance fraud for allegedly taking out a policy less than an hour after a vehicle crash.
The attorney general’s office said Diona Roberta Vaughn, 40, of 975 Addison St., had her insurance policy with Safe Auto canceled in May for nonpayment. On June 8, she reportedly crashed into another vehicle while pulling from a parking lot onto West Chestnut Street.
After determining her policy had been canceled, she allegedly called the company back and got a new policy. She then gave the other driver involved in the crash her insurance policy information, the attorney general’s office said. When securing the new policy, Vaughn allegedly told Safe Auto she had not been in a crash in the last five years.
Vaughn was arraigned Thursday before District Judge Robert Redlinger on charges of insurance fraud and attempted theft. She was released on $10,000 unsecured bond. Vaughn is scheduled for an April 12 preliminary hearing.