(Boise) – Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has announced a Canyon County man was sentenced Friday, February 14, for insurance fraud.

64-year-old William R. Hester, of Nampa, pleaded guilty in December.

Fourth District Court Judge Jason Scott ordered a one year fixed sentence. The court then suspended the sentence and placed Hester on one year of unsupervised probation. The court also ordered 100 hours of community service, a fine of $500, plus court costs. The defendant will also pay $453 in restitution to the Idaho Department of Insurance and $836 to GEICO.

An investigation revealed Hester purchased a used and damaged car for $700. He then added the vehicle to an existing GEICO policy and filed a claim for the damage. During the subsequent claims process, Hester fabricated a bill of sale showing the sale price of the vehicle was $3,750. Investigators later interviewed the seller who provided the actual bill of sale and advised she had told Hester about the damage. Hester ultimately admitted to investigators that he did buy the vehicle with existing damage and forged a bill of sale.

Deputy Attorney General Nicole Schafer in the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case. The Idaho Department of Insurance investigated.

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