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Naples woman makes fraudulent car claim involving Hurricane Irma

Posted at 6:11 PM, Mar 31, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-01 13:17:06-04

A Naples woman was arrested for trying to swindle her car insurance company out of money from vehicle damages she claimed was sustained during hurricane Irma, the Collier County Sheriff's Office said in a report. 

Cleopatra Coward reported to Geico Insurance that her 2015 Nissan Versa sustained hurricane weather damage as a result of Hurricane Irma. 

Cleopatra confirmed that she purchased her car at an auction just months before the storm took place, CCSO said in a report.

When an insurance adjuster inspected Cleopatra's car, he confirmed that her vehicle sustained damages from a hail storm.

The adjuster compared the vehicle damages that were reported by Cleopatra to the pre-existing damages sustained under the vehicles past owner and found that they matched perfectly.

A further investigation showed that the previous owner, also insured by Geico Insurance, filed a claim regarding the vehicle damages sustained by a hail storm in Colorado.

On Friday, Cleopatra surrendered herself to deputies and was charged with Fraud.