November 18, 2020
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Jaskaran Singh Gill, of Tukwila, was charged in King County Superior Court with two counts of first-degree theft, one count of second-degree theft and four counts of filing a false insurance claim after an investigation by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU). He was arraigned on Nov. 5 and the judge set a hearing date for Dec. 16.
According to the investigation, Gill filed multiple fraudulent claims from June 2018 through April 2019 involving motorcycle collisions, medical injuries, property damage and lost wages with Allstate, State Farm and GEICO insurance companies totaling $65,922. Many of the claims had similar types of losses. Investigators found that Gill used duplicated and altered documentation to substantiate the claims.
The series of claims started in June 2018 with Allstate after Gill was involved in a collision with another motorcycle on State Route 7 in Pierce County. His claim included extensive damage to his Yamaha FZ-10 motorcycle, medical bills for injuries, and damage to his riding gear and helmet. All told, Allstate paid Gill $13,775 and declared the motorcycle a total loss. Gill kept the motorcycle.
In October 2018, Gill filed a claim with State Farm for a collision, again on State Route 7 in Pierce County. He reported that he was riding a 2017 BMW S1000 motorcycle and was the victim of a hit and run. In all, State Farm paid Gill $30,831 for the total loss of the motorcycle, damaged gear, medical bills, lost wages, uninsured motorist and pain and suffering.
In December 2018, Gill filed a claim with State Farm under a personal articles policy he bought the month before. He said his rental car was broken into while he was traveling in India and electronics and cameras were stolen. State Farm paid him $10,631 for the claim. After the claim, the company’s fraud unit started looking at Gill’s claims more closely and advised customer service to monitor any future claims from him.
In April 2019, Gill filed another hit-and-run injury claim, this time with GEICO Insurance. He said he was riding a 2017 BMW S1000 – the same motorcycle that State Farm had declared a total loss in December 2018 – in Grays Harbor County. The claim included $15,000 worth of damage to the motorcycle and lost wages from his job. GEICO investigated the claim and found similarities between the two previous hit-and-run claims, including identical photos and receipts. Gill withdrew the claim and declined to meet with or speak to GEICO’s investigator.
In the meantime, fraud investigators from the other insurance companies started looking at the previous claims and found suspicious claims and documentation, including:
- Photos of the totaled Yamaha FZ-10 to substantiate claims involving his BMW S1000.
- Created wage loss documents from Harborview Medical Center, where he said he was employed. Kreidler’s investigators confirmed that Gill was never employed there.
- Duplicated and altered medical bills with dates that were changed to match various claim dates.
- Duplicated and altered receipts for riding gear.
The insurers referred the case to Kreidler’s CIU, as required by state law.
Kreidler’s CIU investigates insurance fraud and works with the Washington State Patrol and state and local prosecutors on criminal cases. Insurance fraud costs the average family $400 to $700 per year in increased premiums. Insurance companies are required by law to report fraud to the commissioner.
Consumers can report suspected insurance fraud on the insurance commissioner’s website.