Iowa Landlord Convicted of Fraud Ordered to Pay $1.9 Million in Damages

A Cedar Rapids, Iowa landlord was convicted this week of receiving insurance payments based on false claims, and the federal jury ordered him to pay $1.9 million in damages.

Robert Miell, 53, was found guilty of insurance fraud and breach of contract.

Miell admitted filing 145 false insurance claims for roof damage to his rental properties following a May 10, 2001, hailstorm.

He did not complete the repairs until after American Family Insurance sued him in 2004. He said he filed $500,000 in false reports because he believed he was under a one-year deadline to complete the work.

The jury awarded American Family Insurance about $547,700 in actual damages for breach of contract and another $339,000 for fraud. The jury also awarded more than $1 million in punitive damages.