Renton woman among three charged with filing false insurance claims

Theresa Smith, 39, from Renton was charged with filing false claims by the Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler and the Criminal Investigations Unit.

Smith was charged with one count of filling a false insurance claim. According to a media release, during the investigation it appears Smith filed a renter’s insurance claim in July 2015 for $9,000 for damage to two area rugs.

She claimed a light bulb in her apartment exploded causing the rugs to catch on fire, the release stated.

Smith provided a handwritten receipt for the two rugs, claiming she purchased them from a friend for $4,500 each.

It was reported that State Farm found nearly an identical claim filed by a different person in May 2015.

The release stated Smith failed to appear in court and is now on Kreidler’s insurance fraud most wanted list.

An issue for her arrest has been issued and her bail has been set at $5,050.

Along with Smith, two other woman have been charged with filing false insurance claims.

The release stated Kreidler’s CIU investigates insurance fraud and works with the Attorney General’s Office and local prosecutors to prosecute criminal cases.

Consumers can report suspected insurance fraud on the Insurance Commissioner’s website.