Accomplice sentenced in $268,000 auto insurance fraud scheme
July 23, 2024 (DENVER) – A man who aided a former insurance claims adjuster in stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent auto insurance claims was sentenced yesterday for his role in the scheme. An Arapahoe County District Court judge sentenced Shawn Brassfield to eight years of probation and ordered him to pay over $23,344 in restitution and serve 80 hours of community service.
In 2020, Brassfield, 55, of Aurora, aided former Travelers Insurance employee Colette Palin, 63, of Aurora in committing fraud. After an internal company investigation by Travelers flagged several of Palin’s claims as suspicious, it also revealed that Brassfield, a known associate of Palin, was the beneficiary of two claim checks she issued.
Upon being confronted by company investigators, Palin admitted that she issued fraudulent payments to herself, Brassfield, and another associate, Malee Lor, 47, a former Thornton police officer.
After Travelers referred the case to the Financial Fraud Unit in the Criminal Justice Section of the Colorado Department of Law, the state’s investigation found Palin issued 64 fraudulent payments totaling $268,530 between 2018 and 2020. Of that total, Brassfield received $23,344 and Lor received $31,495. Palin told investigators she committed fraud to assist with her sister’s medical bills, and later her own gambling debts. Palin pleaded guilty to felony theft and fraud charges in June and is scheduled to be sentenced August 19.
“We all end up footing the bill when people engage in insurance fraud,” said Attorney General Phil Weiser, whose department prosecuted the case. “Our department is committed to holding accountable those who engage in fraud. This case sends a clear message to fraudsters—if you think you can get away with fraud, think again.”
Weiser charged all three defendants with felony theft and insurance fraud in Arapahoe County District Court in 2023, and all three later pleaded guilty. Lor was sentenced to 10 years of probation and 120 hours of community service on May 6. Like Brassfield, Lor will pay restitution equal to the amount stolen.
Brassfield’s case number is 23CR2481.
Coloradans who suspect insurance fraud, or any other type of fraud or scam, are encouraged to file a complaint with the attorney general at StopFraudColorado.gov.
###