A Decatur body shop owner pleaded guilty Monday to racketeering charges based on crashing cars to bump up damages paid by insurance companies, according to Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney K. David Cooke Jr.
“Insurance companies shouldn’t have to look at their customers with an increasingly skeptical eye, but fraud like this makes that a reality,” Cooke said in a news release Tuesday. “Hardworking people struggle to pay for insurance and are faced with greater difficulty in trying to collect on legitimate claims. When scammers target insurance companies, it’s a bill that we all have to pay. Anyone who considers a scheme like this one should expect to face serious consequences when they’re caught.”
