Woman charged in insurance fraud case
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Maybe it was the inflated claim of $1,500 for a stolen iPad that first caught the attention of insurance investigators. Or the report that there had been more than $116,000 in jewelry in a Louis Vuitton purse left on the backseat of the Lexus parked in Chester that was later reported stolen.
But what sealed the case against Latrell Taylor of Morton, officials say, were her claims that the jewelry came from a store that had yet to open, and that the diamonds were a gift from her then-boyfriend who was in jail when the purchase was allegedly made.
Taylor is charged with making a false insurance claim, attempted theft, attempting to receive stolen property, forgery, and other related crimes. She was arraigned and released on $100,000 unsecured bail, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.
According to court records, just after midnight on July 5, Taylor told police she parked her Lexus on Houston Street in Chester to watch fireworks. The car was gone when she returned, and with it, a purse with a $30,900 diamond engagement ring, a $6,000 diamond bracelet, a $79,800 diamond pendant, an iPad, and $650 sunglasses.
Taylor then filed a claim with Allstate Insurance, according to police. She provided receipts for the iPad, sunglasses, and purse. She told agents the company had previously appraised the jewelry and turned over receipts for the ring and pendant telling them her fiance, Andele Johnson, bought them for her.
The receipts, from Empire Jewelers on South Street in Philadelphia, were dated June 2008 through September 2009. The store owner told police it did not open for business until 2011.
According to court documents, Johnson was incarcerated in New Jersey at the time Taylor said he was picking out her ring.
