Attorney General Alan Wilson announces prison sentence in insurance fraud case

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - June 19, 2018 - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announces that Lynette Lide, 43, of Timmonsville, South Carolina, entered a plea of guilty on June 15, 2018 on insurance fraud charges. Lide pleaded guilty to one count of Presenting a False Claim for Payment Between $2,000 – $10,000 and one count of Presenting a False Claim for Payment Greater Than $10,000.

The Honorable Thomas A. Russo accepted the plea and sentenced Lide to one year in prison on the charges. Lide also pleaded guilty to two additional charges of Shoplifting and Escape and was sentenced to 18 months in prison to run concurrent with the one-year sentence.

“We all end up paying for insurance fraud because it raises insurance rates for everyone,” said Attorney General Wilson. “Our office will continue to enforce our laws and go after the people who break them,” said Attorney General Wilson.

The first incident began when Lide presented a fraudulent claim to AllState Insurance Company, an insurer doing business in South Carolina, for bodily injury. Lide used a Carolinas Hospital bill belonging to a co-defendant, stating that it was her own, for the amount of $7,896.35 and sent it to AllState. The claim was flagged due to the patient number not being associated with Lide.

The second incident occurred about a month after the first. Lide presented a fraudulent claim to State Farm, an insurer doing business in South Carolina, for bodily injury. Lide presented hospital bills in the amount of $11,553.21 for her daughter and $10,080.09 for herself to the insurance company. The claims were flagged due to the bills being altered.

The case was investigated by SLED and prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General LaRone Washington.