Arizona Woman Claimed Lost Wedding Rings in Fraud Scam

September 25, 2014

A Phoenix woman will have to repay nearly $27,000 to her insurance company after pleading guilty to falsely claiming she lost her wedding rings during an ocean swim.

The Arizona Department of Insurance says 37-year-old Maria Apodaca Simmons made a claim against her Traveler’s Insurance Co. policy last year, saying she lost her $26,000 rings just days after her wedding. Four months later she claimed her husband lost his $14,000 ring while swimming.

A State Farm insurance employee interviewing her about that loss noticed she was apparently wearing the custom wedding rings she had reported to Travelers as lost. State insurance investigators were called and found a Facebook page with her wearing the rings.

Simmons pleaded guilty to two counts of insurance fraud Tuesday and will be placed on probation.

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