Caught in the act! Seattle man busted for crash scam minutes after insuring his car

Seattle resident Saleem Robinson has been sentenced to 11 days of electronic home monitoring after being convicted of insurance fraud and attempted theft in the first degree.

The conviction follows an investigation by the Washington State Insurance Commissioner's Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU) and prosecution by the King County Prosecutor's Office.

Robinson, who had filed a false claim on his auto insurance, received credit for one day already served in his sentence handed down on Sept. 17.

The case dates back to May 18, 2021, when Robinson obtained an insurance policy with Progressive for his 2008 Mercedes Benz C350.

Just nine minutes after the policy was initiated, Robinson reported a collision with another vehicle, claiming damages.

Because the claim was submitted so soon after the policy's start, it was automatically flagged and sent to Progressive's special investigation unit.

During its investigation, Progressive discovered that Robinson's collision had occurred several hours before he purchased the policy.

GEICO, the insurer for the other vehicle involved, contacted Progressive to clarify that Robinson was the at-fault driver.

Based on this evidence, Progressive denied Robinson's $6,710.76 claim and reported the case to the CIU, as required by Washington state law.

The CIU works closely with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to investigate and prosecute cases of insurance fraud, which is estimated to cost families an additional $400 to $700 per year in increased premiums.

Under state law, insurance companies must report suspected fraud to the Insurance Commissioner.

Former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, a New York Republican who resigned from Congress following a tax fraud conviction, is paralyzed from the chest down after being thrown from a horse during a polo tournament, according to friends who are raising funds to pay for the ex-lawmaker's medical care. Grimm, 54, suffered the devastating injury in September and is now being treated at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in New Jersey, where the late actor Christopher Reeve was treated after a similar equestrian accident in 1995, according to Vincent Ignizio, a friend of Grimm's who is a former New York City Council member. "It was a passion of his and he suffered a tragic accident at the end of September," said Ignizio, who has set up a GoFundMe account to pay for Grimm's medical care.