Fraud Ringleader Sentenced After Staging $1M In Claims Losses

A 55-year-old Clarksburg man has been sentenced to 92 months in federal prison as the organizer of an insurance fraud ring that caused almost $1 million in losses. Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley cited the negative impact the actions by Dallas Ray Lewis Jr. caused on the health-care industry, the insurance industry, law enforcement and other first responders. Keeley termed Lewis’s conviction for conspiracy to commit mail fraud a grave offense. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Cogar said Lewis had been involved in staging at least 16 accidents over a 20-year period. Lewis acted as a sort of producer and director for the wrecks, determining where, when and how they would occur, Cogar alleged.