Woman who pretended to be employer in lost-wage claim pleads guilty to insurance fraud

A woman who pretended to be an employer to help her son allegedly file a fake lost-wages insurance claim has pleaded guilty to insurance fraud.

Sherryl Rose Brongil pleaded guilty on Monday in King County Superior Court to one count of insurance fraud.

According to an investigation by State Farm and our Special Investigations Unit, Brongil's son, Larry Kwant, was accelerating out of a parking lot in her Cadillac when he lost control of the car and caused $26,000 in damage to it. He filed a claim, including 23 days of lost wages at $25 an hour. The form was signed by a "Linda Lee."

Linda Lee turned out to be Sherryl Brongil. Not only did she sign the form, purportedly showing that her son had worked at a company where he'd never worked. She'd also pretended to be administrative assistant "Linda Lee" when contacted by a claims adjuster.

She was sentenced to three months in jail.

As for Kwant, he's been charged with insurance fraud and identity theft.