A Maple Ridge couple has been ordered to pay ICBC more than $100,000 after being found guilty of falsely claiming their leased truck was stolen.
The claim, which was made seven years ago in October 2004 by Ronald and Jeannette LeBlanc, stated their Chevrolet Super Sport Roadster had been stolen from their driveway. ICBC paid out more than $60,000 to the leasing company that leased the vehicle to the LeBlanc’s.
Three years later, however, the truck was found in storage in New Brunswick. ICBC later discovered that the truck had been spotted in Ontario two days before it was reported stolen.
In finding the couple guilty of committing fraud and perjury, BC Supreme Court Justice Gail Dickson said, “Quite apart from the compelling and objective nature of the corroborative evidence, the testimony of the LeBlanc’s is singularly unpersuasive.”
The vehicle has since been sold to the Miramichi police and used as part of a program to prevent teens from drinking and driving.
Despite the win in the case, ICBC noted that fraud continues to be an expensive cost to the corporation. It estimates fraudulent claims cost ICBC customers between $100 and $150 a year.