West Virginian Gets 18 Month Jail Term for Faking Insurance Claims

A Buckhannon, West Virginia man who admitted to defrauding insurance companies by staging vehicle accidents and filing fake claims will spend 18 months in prison.

U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey sentenced 42-year-old Christopher John Thrain earlier this week on one count of mail fraud in Elkins.

Thrain must also serve three years on probation.

Thrain was an auto body repair specialist who talked people into staging accidents. He and others would then file false claims with their insurance companies.

Thrain admitted in court last fall that he used the federal postal system to obtain a check for more than $2,700 as part of that scheme.

Bailey also ordered him to pay nearly $36,000 in restitution to four insurance companies.

Topics Claims