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W.Va. man charged with insurance fraud following crash

The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office filed insurance fraud and theft charges against a West Virginia man for allegedly renewing his vehicle insurance and filing a claim after he was involved in a two-vehicle crash June 1 in Center Township.

Charges were filed Thursday against David G. Bertoia Jr., 30, of Weirton. His preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 17 in front of District Judge Lewis Stoughton.

Bertoia was involved in the crash at the intersection of Route 8 and Mahood Road at 11:05 a.m. June 1, according to an affidavit.

A Progressive Insurance Company official contacted the attorney general’s office and reported that Bertoia went online and made policy reinstatement payment for his 2022 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck at noon that day. On June 3, he initiated a claim with Progressive for a crash at noon June 1, according to the affidavit.

Progressive determined that Bertoia did not have an active policy at the time of the accident and that he misrepresented the time of the accident to get insurance coverage, and denied his claim, according to the affidavit.

Bertoia’s truck flipped on to the driver’s side and had damage to the hood and driver’s side. The other vehicle, a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder, rolled over twice and was deemed a total loss. No one appeared to be injured at the scene, according to the affidavit.

The other driver reported that Bertoia sent her a $500 money order to pay for her insurance deductible, according to the affidavit.

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