Three plead guilty in auto insurance scam

Three people have pleaded guilty in an Iowa insurance fraud case, according to the state’s insurance division.

Des Moines residents Lavona Lopez, 52, Dario Overly, 29, and Ashly Overly, 28, all pleaded guilty to one count of insurance fraud – presenting false information, a Class D felony, following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s (IDD) Fraud Bureau.

The investigation was launched in January 2021 after the Fraud Bureau received information that Lopez had provided false information to an insurer after an auto accident, the IDD said.

According to investigators, Lopez made false representations about the nature of the loss. She also made false statements to an insurer about the facts and circumstances of the auto accident.

Investigators found that Lopez had fabricated independent witnesses who provided statements to support her version of events. Those witnesses were her son, Dario Overly, and daughter-in-law, Ashly Overly.

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According to the IDD, neither Dario Overly nor Ashly Overly were actually present at the scene of the accident, nor had they witnessed events leading up to the collision.

Lopez and Dario and Ashly Overly were all charged with insurance fraud and warrants were issued for their arrest.

The Overlys were arrested on June 17, 2022. Ashly Overly pleaded guilty on Oct. 5, 2022, and Dario Overly pleaded guilty on Aug. 26, 2022. Lopez was arrested on Nov. 9, 2022, and pleaded guilty on Feb. 1.

All three received deferred sentences and were placed on supervised probation for two years. They were also ordered to pay a fine of $1,025 each.

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