Colorado Man Accused of Defrauding Car Insurers Gets Prison

A Colorado man accused of staging car accidents and thefts to defraud insurance companies has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said Friday that 42-year-old Mikel Mewbourn also has been ordered to pay about $280,000 in restitution.

Mewbourn had pleaded guilty to violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act.

An indictment alleged he enlisted friends to help him stage car accidents, thefts and other property damage. In one case, prosecutors said he staged the theft of a Ferrari worth more than $100,000, collected the insurance proceeds and later sold parts of the vehicle over the Internet.