Ohio Woman Pleads Guilty in $400,000 Fraud Case

Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) Director Ann Womer Benjamin announced that Brenda Dawn Johnson, 48, of Stoutsville, Ohio, reached a plea agreement yesterday in the Fairfield County Court of Common Pleas in a $400,000 insurance fraud case.

Johnson, who defrauded several Ohio-licensed insurance companies, pleaded guilty to three counts of insurance fraud, one count of theft and one count of money laundering. Johnson, indicted on April 4, 2003, faces the possibility of 10 1/2 years in prison. Her restitution will be determined at the time of sentencing, which will take place Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. at the Fairfield County Court of Common Pleas. ODI’s chief of fraud and enforcement, Robert Smith, served as a special prosecutor.

Johnson cheated insurers by using seven different last names and different Social Security numbers, veiling her identity to file a variety of false claims. Johnson’s schemes included staged vehicle accidents, theft of tractors and automobiles and claims for house fires and dental work.