Insurance fraud ring leader pleads guilty after filing $174,000 in false claims, report says

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – In February 2019, a man pleaded guilty to five counts of presenting false claims for insurance payment that valued for more than $10,000.

Gregory Vaughn, was sentence to five years in prison as a part of a plea agreement and the charges will all run concurrently.

Vaughn was the ring leader of an insurance fraud ring operating in Sumter County. Vaughn coordinated and staged five different incidents in Sumter. One incident in Clarendon County and two incidents in Lee County.

Vaughn conspired with 21 co-defendants to report accidents that did not occur or occurred intentionally.

Vaughn called insurance companies impersonating other co-defendants, submitted fraudulent medical bills that he prepared on behalf of other co-defendants, and even went to the hospital impersonating people who were not involved in the conspiracy.

The insurance companies involved paid out a total of approximately of $174,000 on these false claims.

Vaughn was not ordered to pay restitution because he will be serving the five years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

Other co-defendants have been ordered to pay their part of restitution, which ranges from $500 to $11,000.