Members of Floyd County Family Plead Guilty to Insurance Fraud |
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U.S. Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of Kentucky
17 March 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PIKEVILLE — Three members of a Floyd County family admitted in federal court that they attempted to defraud insurance companies out of thousands of dollars.
On Monday, Charles Ray Tackett, 42, his son, Michael Ray Tackett, 25, and his wife, Anna Grace McGuire Tackett, 27, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy before U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves.
According to court documents, Charles Tackett devised a scheme to defraud insurance carriers, by fraudulently obtaining insurance on classic vehicles. Tackett admitted he purchased vehicles, including a 1971 Cadillac Deville and a 1972 Oldsmobile, and falsely reported to the insurance companies that the vehicles had been fully restored through a body shop, when no such work had been done to the vehicles.
Tackett claimed the cars were worth significantly more than their actual value and he obtained insurance based on the inflated value of the vehicles. After the vehicles were destroyed in a fire, Tackett attempted to recover money by filing a claim under the fraudulently obtained insurance policy.
Tackett also acknowledged he recruited his wife and son to join the conspiracy. Michael Tackett and Anna McGuire Tackett executed similar schemes involving a 1978 Chevy Monte Carlo, a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am, and a 1984 Pontiac Firebird.
Kerry B. Harvey, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Howard S. Marshall, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, jointly announced the guilty pleas.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate K. Smith represents the federal government in this case.
All three defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on June 22, 2015. They face a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a maximum fine of $250,000. Any sentence will be imposed by the Court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statutes.