North Whidbey man jailed for car insurance fraud

Arnold F. Bodner, 58, pleaded guilty in Island County Superior Court April 16 to a single count of insurance false claim, which was a felony charge because the amount of the claim exceeded $1,500.

A North Whidbey man was recently sentenced to 45 days in jail for filing a fraudulent auto insurance claim.

Arnold F. Bodner, 58, pleaded guilty in Island County Superior Court April 16 to a single count of insurance false claim, which was a felony charge because the amount of the claim exceeded $1,500.

An insurance company investigator and a detective with the state Office of the Insurance Commissioner looked into the case in 2019.

Bodner filed a claim with his insurance company, saying that a friend had borrowed his 2006 Hummer H3, sold it without his knowledge or permission and then left the country.

An investigator with the insurance company, however, found paperwork showing Boden sold the vehicle to an Anacortes car dealership; the insurance company denied the claim.

The case was then passed on to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner for a criminal investigation.