South Carolina Man Gets 1 Year Probation for Filing False Pickup Claim

Christopher Heyward Williams of Lancaster County, South Carolina pled guilty to presenting false claims of $5,000 or more, according to state officials.

The felony is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment and/or a fine up to $5,000. Lancaster County Judge John C. Hayes, III sentenced him to one year imprisonment suspended to one year probation and 20 days public service employment.

According to officials, in the early morning hours of Feb. 26, 2006, Williams was driving his Ford Ranger pickup truck while under the influence when he crashed into a tree. He abandoned the vehicle at the scene without reporting the accident. Law enforcement recovered the vehicle early that morning.

Officials said that the defendant later made a claim to his insurer, Balboa Insurance Co., stating that his truck was stolen. The actual cash value of the vehicle was approximately $10,000. The claim was denied.

This case was prosecuted by the Insurance Fraud Division of the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.