New York Man’s Faked Store Fall Caught on Tape

Authorities say a central New York convenience store’s surveillance cameras caught a man purposely pouring soda on the floor and then faking a fall so he could file an insurance claim against the business.

State Insurance Department officials said that 48-year-old Charles E. Barnes Sr. of Auburn was charged last month with insurance fraud and falsifying business records.

Insurance fraud investigators say the store’s security videotape shows Barnes pouring soda on the floor last January, then lying on the floor until customers and employees come to his aid. Officials say Barnes filed a claim with the stores insurer, saying he had suffered a back injury. He later withdrew the claim.