Tacoma woman trades guilty plea, diversion program for dismissed charges in insurance fraud

Isabel Osorto, 23, of Tacoma, pled guilty to insurance fraud and agreed to complete a diversion program in exchange for the charge being dismissed.

The charge stems from a December 2012 collision in which Osorto hit another car. Later that day, she purchased insurance for her car and filed a $9,000 hit-and-run claim on her car three days later. The insurance company was tipped off that something was amiss when the driver of the car she hit contacted her insurance company about the damage to his car, which was supported by the citation she was issued by Washington State Patrol. She was charged with one count of insurance fraud in September 2014.

The terms of the diversion program include pleading guilty, full repayment of the restitution amount, payment of all administrative fees and full compliance with all program requirements. In this case, the restitution amount is zero because the insurance company did not pay Osorto’s $9,000 claim. The charge against Osorto will be dismissed once she completes the terms of the program. If she fails to complete the program, the charge against her will be reinstated.

The OIC’s Special Investigations Unit investigates insurance fraud and works with the Attorney General’s Office or local law enforcement—in this case, Pierce County – to prosecute criminal cases. Consumers can report suspected insurance fraud on the Insurance Commissioner’s website.