Towamencin Men Head to Court on Insurance Fraud Accusations

Two Towamencin men had felony and misdemeanor insurance fraud charges held over for Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas on Thursday, after waiving their preliminary hearings in Lansdale, according to The Reporter.

Ian Jared Crotzer, 30, of the 100 block of Monroe Drive, Towamencin Condominiums, allegedly filed a false claim that his vehicle was stolen. Sterling Dustin Hall Jr., 33, aka Dawson Mullin, of the 1000 block of Winfield Court in Morgandale in Towamencin, was allegedly involved in the conspiracy, police said.

The Reporter wrote that both declined to comment on the case afterward, as did Crotzer’s attorney Stephen Geday.

Crotzer is charged with the following:

• Felony Filing a False/Fraudulent/Incomplete Insurance Claim
• Felony Conspiracy to File a False Insurance Claim
• Misdemeanor Tampering with Evidence
• Misdemeanor Filing False Reports on an Offense that Did Not Occur

Hall is charged with the following:

• Felony Conspiracy to File a False/Fraudulent/Incomplete Insurance Claim
• Misdemeanor Tampering With Evidence

Crotzer had turned himself in to police on Nov. 29. Hall, whose whereabouts where previously unknown, was taken into custody Dec. 8 at his job on the 200 block of DeKalb Pike in Montgomery Township on a warrant issued by Towamencin Police.

Police said Crotzer allegedly filed a false claim that his vehicle was stolen, and Hall was involved in the conspiracy.

On Nov. 8, Crotzer allegedly , police said. Crotzer told police his car was locked and he had both sets of keys, police said. There were no signs of forced entry into a vehicle observed at the scene, police said.

The Infiniti was financed and insured, and a claim for a stolen vehicle was made, police said.

The car was financed for more than its current value and gap insurance had also been purchased, police said. If a loss occurs, gap insurance will pay the difference between the actual case value of a vehicle and the current outstanding loan balance.

Through an investigation, police learned that Crotzer allegedly asked Hall for assistance with the fraud, police said.

Police said Hall allegedly allowed Crotzer to hide his car in Hall’s garage at Morgandale.

An alleged agreement was Hall would dispose of the Infiniti and keep whatever money he could get from it, police said. Crotzer would then be free from financing from the insurance coverage, police said.

Crotzer allegedly relocated the Infiniti from Hall’s garage to another location in Morgandale, police said. It was at this location where police recovered the vehicle.

This is Crotzer’s first criminal offense in Montgomery County.

This is Hall’s tenth criminal offense in Montgomery County since 1998, according to court records. Of those 10, six were heard at the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.