Ohio Woman Sentenced for Arson and Insurance Fraud Scheme

Angela Frase, 60, of Sterling, Ohio, has been sentenced to two years in prison for orchestrating an insurance fraud scheme that involved arson and staged hate crimes. Frase pleaded guilty to four counts of mail fraud after accepting $327,072 in insurance payments for damages she falsely claimed. In addition to her prison term, she was ordered to pay restitution and will undergo supervised release for three years.

The case dates back to July 2019, when Frase reported multiple fires at her home, leading to an insurance-funded stay at an extended-stay hotel. Investigators later found evidence of intentional tampering with natural gas lines and determined that Frase had set a fire at the home herself. Additionally, she spray-painted hate speech on her garage and vandalized a neighbor’s property to fabricate a racially motivated attack. She later staged further incidents, including placing a noose around a stuffed doll and mailing herself a suspicious envelope.

Between November 2019 and June 2020, Frase cashed multiple insurance checks before being charged in federal court in September 2024. She took a plea deal and is expected to surrender to U.S. Marshals by April 30, 2025.