Amherst Woman and Son Arrested for Insurance Fraud

• by New York State Insurance Department

An Amherst woman and her 19-year-old son face charges of insurance fraud and attempted grand larceny in connection with filing a fraudulent $7,000 insurance claim after telling police the woman's motorcycle had been stolen.

Roseann Degenfelder, 43, and Jeremy Perez, 19, both of 47 Fairgreen Dr., were arrested by Amherst Detective David Kubik, assisted by Town of Tonawanda Officer Jason Arlington, following an investigation by Ross McQuade of the New York State Insurance Department's Frauds Bureau. Degenfelder was arrested Oct. 15; Perez was arrested Nov. 4.

The investigation was begun after police found Ms. Degenfelder's 2007 Yamaha lying unattended on the side of the I-290 on July 13. The motorcycle was recovered shortly before Ms. Degenfelder called police to report that it had been stolen. Perez is accused of abandoning the motorcycle on the side of the expressway, so his mother could file a $7,000 claim for the purported loss with Geico Insurance Company.

When it was recovered, police found damage to the motorcycle similar to damage she described when filing an accident claim with Geico on July 8. Neither that claim, denied because she did not have collision coverage, nor the later claim were paid.

If they are convicted, Degenfelder and Perez could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison. A hearing will be scheduled in Erie County Court.

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