Claim For Lost Diamond Leads To Jefferson County Arrest

NEW YORK, NY (04/07/2011)(readMedia)-- A Jefferson County woman who says she keeps losing diamond rings faces up to four years in prison.

Watertown police arrested Valerie D. Henry, 38, of Fort Drum. She is accused of filing a fraudulent insurance claim after purportedly losing two diamond rings.

New York State Insurance Department Frauds Bureau investigators reported that Henry bought a diamond ring from a Watertown jeweler in November 2009. She lost the ring in July 2010 and was paid $1,199 after filing an insurance claim with USAA.

Henry said she used the money to buy an identical diamond ring. However, she later filed another insurance claim after purportedly losing the second ring.

Investigators allege that she changed the date on the sales receipt for the original ring so she could submit the claim. She was never paid for the second claim.

Henry is charged with insurance fraud and falsifying business records. She could be sentenced to up to four years in prison if she is convicted. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Christina Mills.

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