Long-time big league left-hander Ted Lilly is facing three counts of felony insurance fraud in California, reports KSBY.com. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges on Tuesday.
All three charges involve vehicle insurance fraud. Lilly purchased an RV worth approximately $200,000 last year, then purchased insurance and filed a claim after damaging the vehice. Here's more from Nick Wilson of the San Luis Obispo Tribune:
The (California Department of Insurance)'s investigation showed Lilly sustained damage in a collision while backing up the vehicle and sought an estimate from a body shop on March 19, Kincaid said. The estimate was $4,600.
Then Lilly bought insurance from Progressive on March 24 and claimed the damage on March 28, Kincaid said.
"I can tell you that he's charged with three different felony counts. The first is filing a false insurance claim. The second one is a false statement in support of a claim and the third one has to do with failing to disclose a material fact in connection with an insurance claim," assistant district attorney Lee Cunningham said to KSBY.
“What a lot of people may not realize is that body shops often enter estimates into a database that insurance companies can check to verify claims,” Department of Insurance spokeswoman Nancy Kincaid said to Wilson. “They can see what the damage was and whether a false claim may have been filed.”
Lilly was arrested as part of an agency sweep in which warrants were served in 22 counties. The sting targeted those who were uninsured, underinsured or acquired insurance after damage occurred. If convincted, Lilly could face up to five years in prison.
Lilly, 39, last pitched in 2013. He went 130-113 with a 4.14 ERA (106 ERA+) in parts of 15 MLB seasons with the Expos, Yankees, Athletics, Blue Jays, Cubs and Dodgers. According to Baseball Reference, he earned over $80 million in salary during his career.
(h/t Big League Stew)
