Lee & Cates Glass VP Arrested for Fraud
August 5, 2009

Lee and Cates Glass Inc.'s vice president of operations, Scott Cates, has been arrested for alleged involvement in a fraud case brought by the Florida Financial Services Department's Division of Insurance Fraud. A former Lee and Cates employee, Jennifer Lamunyon Cribb, also was arrested today.

The arrests were made as part of an ongoing investigation, originally announced in April (CLICK HERE for related story.)

The state claims that four of the company's locations allegedly overbilled numerous insurance companies more than $540,000 on more than 1,300 separate fraudulent insurance claims.

Cates was charged with scheming to defraud, conduct of or participation in an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity and three counts of conspiracy to commit fraud. Cribb has been charged with scheming to defraud and presenting a false insurance claim.

When the investigation was announced initially, four employees were arrested under similar charges, and since then, a total of 10 (including Cates and Cribb) have been charged, according to a statement issued by the Florida Financial Services Department.

The Division of Insurance Fraud alleges that the employees involved overbilled windshields and associated parts by billing insurance companies for a more expensive dealer windshield but installing a less expensive substitute.

Additional arrests are expected, according to the statement issued by the state.

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