Women Arrested After Filing 18 Lightning Strike Property Claims

Two women who repeatedly filed claims saying their property was struck by lightning were arrested for being part of an insurance fraud ring, state police announced Friday. Pennsylvania State Police said that Mary Lisa Gara, 58, of Elverson, and Sara Deputy, 36, of Downingtown, allegedly made false insurance claims and collected more than $70,000 in two years. The Pennsylvania State Police Organized Crime Unit along with the Philadelphia Police Department, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) and the Chester County District Attorney’s Office investigated and charged Gara and Deputy with the crimes that they said occurred from Feb. 5, 2014, to July 14, 2016.