A former Douglas County sheriff’s deputy who pleaded guilty in an insurance fraud case has been sentenced to about 2 1/2 months in jail and 2 1/2 years of probation.
Attorney General Marty Jackley announced the sentencing in a news release.
Forty-two-year-old Robert Ray Hotchkiss of Delmont was sentenced Tuesday in a Sioux Falls courtroom on one count of grand theft by deception, a Class 4 felony.
http://liarcatchers.com/insurance_fraud.html
The judge suspended a four-year sentence in the state penitentiary, giving Hotchkiss the jail time instead, according to spokeswoman Sara Rabern with the attorney general’s office. However, if Hotchkiss doesn’t report to jail April 13, the judge will reinstate the four-year prison sentence, she said.
The charges stemmed from Hotchkiss’ submission of fraudulent insurance applications to obtain commissions while working as an insurance agent in 2008.
The employment with the insurance company occurred prior to his service as a Douglas County deputy sheriff.
Hotchkiss was originally charged with four counts of grand theft by deception, Rabern said. Hotchkiss later pleaded guilty to one count as part of a plea agreement.
Upon entering his guilty plea, Hotchkiss resigned as Douglas County deputy sheriff, she said.
This case was investigated by the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and was prosecuted by the attorney general’s office.
Hotchkiss has already paid about $7,000 in restitution in the form of commission returned to the insurance company, the Mitchell Daily Republic reported.
