Amy Allaman

A Butler woman already facing trial in one insurance fraud case is now accused in a second case.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office last week charged 37-year-old Amy Lynn Allaman with filing a false car insurance claim.

The office four months ago filed similar charges against Allaman in an unrelated investigation.

The recent case stems from a one-vehicle crash Feb. 5 in Westmoreland County, according to court documents. The defendant reported that the accident happened between 3 and 5 p.m. as she was driving her car to work.

She said she swerved to avoid a deer and lost control of the vehicle on Keystone Park Road. The car rolled over and was totaled.

She called her insurance carrier, Esurance, shortly before 6 p.m. and filed a claim.

Earlier that day, about 3 a.m., authorities said, Allaman had upgraded her policy to add additional coverage including rental, towing and custom equipment.

She also lowered her deductible from $1,000 to $100. Additionally, she added so-called “gap coverage,” which kicks in if you wreck your car while you're still paying for it.

Investigators said at the time of the crash, Allaman owed $9,885.73 on her 2010 Volkswagen Beetle.

During the insurance company's investigation, documents said, it was determined the crash actually happened around 2 a.m., when Allaman called a friend to help her get a tow for the wrecked car.

A special agent with the attorney general's office on April 26 interviewed the defendant, who admitted the crash occurred before she upgraded her policy.

District Judge William Fullerton on June 30 arraigned Allaman on felony charges of insurance fraud and attempted theft by deception. A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 7.

State prosecutors on Feb. 13 charged Allaman in a suspected “crash and buy” insurance scam last year.

She is accused of buying an auto insurance policy several weeks after her car wrecked into a mobile home at a Connoquenessing Township trailer park on March 9, 2016.

She subsequently filed a fraudulent claim of more than $2,000, authorities said.

Allaman in that case is facing a trial on charges of insurance fraud, a felony, and attempted theft by deception, a misdemeanor.

She remains free on her own recognizance.