Tioga County Man Accused of Filing False Insurance Claim

A Tioga County man was arrested Thursday on charges that he filed a fraudulent $5,300 insurance claim after a washing machine hose broke and flooded his basement, the New York State Insurance Department reported.

State police at Owego arrested Dennis Maley, 53, of Tobey Road, Apalachin. He is accused of submitting the fraudulent claim to Allstate Insurance Company.

Insurance Department Frauds Bureau Investigator Gordon Saggese said an investigation revealed that three of the four items listed on Maley's claim, a television stand and parts of a sound system, were actually owned by another individual and were not damaged by water. The fourth item, a couch, was not in the basement.

Maley is charged with fourth degree insurance fraud and a first degree count of falsifying business records. He could be sentenced to up to four years in prison if he is convicted. He was released pending a hearing to be scheduled in Tioga County Court. The case is being prosecuted by District Attorney Gerald Keene.