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A Sugar Grove man faces insurance fraud charges from the state Attorney General's office after allegedly trying to report a claim on an insurance policy that had already been canceled.
Dominic M. Rotondelli, 23, was charged Wednesday with third-degree felony false/fraudulent/incomplete insurance claim and misdemeanor counts of theft by deception and insurance/intent to defraud. Rotondelli was arraigned by Magisterial District Court Judge Laura Bauer on Wednesday with bail set at $25,000 unsecured.
The Attorney General's office alleges in its Affidavit of Probable Cause that Rotondelli had obtained a new insurance policy in January 2026 after his prior policy had lapsed due to nonpayment. On Jan. 31, Rotondelli allegedly accessed his old policy and tried to file a claim but could not because the policy had been canceled.
He then tried to file a claim on the new policy, but the accident had taken place before Rotondelli had taken out the new policy.
The Attorney General's Office said the damage to Rotondelli's vehicle totaled $1,923.54 according to a repair estimate received as part of the investigation. In July, Rotondelli allegedly admitted to an Attorney General's Office investigator that the accident had taken place before he had taken out the new insurance policy.
"The actor said he panicked due to not having insurance coverage and lied to the insurance company when he obtained the new policy," the affidavit states. "He told the insurance company there was no present damage on the vehicle at the time of the new policy's inception, which he admitted was not the truth. He indicated he merely wanted to get his vehicle fixed and did not know what to do. He explained he was talking with his friends, and they encouraged him to file an insurance claim, which he now knows is wrong."
According to the Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority, there were 4,725 complaints of suspected insurance fraud (fraud referrals) were made to the authority's membership, with 498 arrests and 499 criminal convictions. Prosecutions resulted in defendants being ordered to pay $3,136,894 in restitution to insurance fraud victims, $600,784 in court costs, and $20,650 in fines with $118,774 paid into the insurance fraud trust fund.
Insurance fraud in the Commonwealth impacted all lines of insurance, with referrals reflecting 2.672 auto insurance fraud claims, 558 commercial property/liability insurance fraud cases, 369 cases of homeowners and/or renters insurance fraud, 288 cases of healthcare fraud, 141 workers’ compensation fraud cases, 30 life insurance fraud cases and 667 other types of fraud case referrals.