A New York police officer is facing charges after allegedly torching his car in an attempt to scam his insurer.
Kirk Peddie, 43, has been charged with insurance fraud, grand larceny, falsifying business records and other charges, according to The New York Daily News. Prosecutors said that Peddie, a 15-year NYPD veteran, told State Farm Mutual Automobile Company that his car had been stolen on Christmas day 2016, when in reality he had burned the car five days earlier.
Peddie said the car, a 2006 BMW 650i, was worth about $37,000. When he filed a claim with State Farm, he told the insurer that he had last seen the car three days earlier when he moved it, the Daily News reported.
However, an investigation found that the car had been found torched on Dec. 20 – before Peddie said he’d last seen it. When deposed by State Farm’s lawyers, Peddie allegedly changed his story to say that he’d actually last seen the car on Dec. 8, 2016 – a discrepancy for which he had no explanation. Peddie’s claim was denied and a criminal investigation was initiated by the NYPD’s internal affairs department.
Peddie was arraigned last week in Brooklyn, according to the Daily News. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison.
“That this crime was allegedly committed by a police officer is troublesome because we demand honesty and integrity from all of our law enforcement officials,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. “We intend to hold this defendant accountable and continue to investigate every instance of fraud or misconduct.”
