A Leesburg woman was arrested Tuesday morning on a warrant charging her with insurance fraud.
Mary Lucille Turner, 53, who lives at 1616 Normandy Way in Leesburg placed, a claim for water damage with her home’s insurer, USAA Casualty Insurance Company (USAA) on Jan. 27, the same day that she changed her deductible from $5,280 to $500. The USAA Special Investigations Unit investigated the claim and discovered that Turner had placed a claim with the Old Republic Home Protection Company for the same water leak on Jan. 19. The USAA investigator discovered that a plumber was sent to her home to check the leak on Jan. 26. The USAA investigator then forwarded the claim to the Florida Department of Financial Services Bureau of Insurance Fraud for a follow-up investigation.
The Bureau of Insurance Fraud found that Old Republic Home Warranty sent a work order to Circa Service LLC to dispatch a plumber to Turner’s house on Jan. 21 and that Circa confirmed an appointment for a plumber to come to her house on Jan. 26. The plumber discovered a water leak. The USAA investigator informed the Bureau detective that he had spoken to Turner about the deductible being lowered and the next day she filed the water damage claim. She claimed she was not aware of a leak when she lowered her deductible and that the timing was a coincidence. Under questioning by the fraud bureau investigator, Turner said she had “gotten her words twisted,” when she made the claim, according to the probable cause affidavit filed in Lake County Court.
Turner was placed under arrest for insurance fraud and grand theft. She remains free on $4,000 bond.