United States Attorney Bill Nettles released today that Gerald B. Hardin, 34, of Casey, along with two other people, has been charged with committing mail fraud.
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COLUMBIA (WACH) - Three individuals, including a man from Cayce, have been arrested in an insurance fraud scheme.
United States Attorney Bill Nettles released today that Gerald B. Hardin, 34, of Cayce, along with two other people, has been charged with committing mail fraud committed in May 2008. Hardin lived in the Sumter, South Carolina, area at the time of the incident.
According to Nettles, Hardin and another person used a pole saw to intentionally cut off the hand of the third participant in the scheme. The three participants then submitted claims against a homeowner’s insurance policy and three accidental death and dismemberment policies and received over $671,000.
Neither the other person who helped or the person whose hand was severed are identified in the six-page Indictment.
The maximum penalty Hardin could receive on each count is 20 years imprisonment and $250,000 in fines. Hardin made his initial appearance in federal court on Feb. 21.
He is currently being held on a $100,000 bond.
The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Dean A. Eichelberger of the Columbia office for prosecution.
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