Two Butler County residents were recently charged with insurance fraud, following an investigation by the state Attorney General's Office that resulted in 21 people across Western Pennsylvania being charged.

Stephanie A. Barron, 39, of Butler, and Jessica Sweeney, 34, of Evans City, were charged with felony false insurance claims after the investigations by the AG's Insurance Fraud Section.

Barron also was charged with felony theft by deception and Sweeney also was charged with felony criminal attempt to theft by deception, according to online court documents.

The charges against Barron stem from an incident on July 5 where she allegedly purchased a Safe Auto Insurance liability policy on her 2008 Hyundai Elantra. She later added collision and comprehensive insurance, and on July 15 filed a claim stating that her vehicle had been flooded while she was driving across the bridge at Creek Road and West Jefferson Road in Jefferson Township on July 11, according to an affidavit of probable cause. The claim sought $4,000 in damages.

Police said their investigation found that no flooding occurred on that date or in Jefferson Township, with all flooding in the Butler area occurring on July 5 and July 6.

Barron also submitted a photograph of the vehicle in the floodwaters. A review of the metadata of the picture — timestamp and location data embedded within a digital photo — found that the photo was taken July 6, according to court records.

The document also states that during a Google search photos of the vehicle in a vacant lot were found attached to a news media report of the flooding on July 5 and 6.

Police said that during an interview Barron said she had bought the vehicle on July 5, and then admitted to trying to add insurance coverage after the vehicle had been damaged by being driven through floodwaters on West Brady Street.

Barron was arraigned on Oct. 11 and released on her own recognizance. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 20 before District Judge William Fullerton.

Sweeney's charges stem from an incident in Evans City on June 4, where it is alleged that she purchased a Progressive Insurance policy that morning on her 2015 Chevrolet Cruze.

On June 8, she filed a claim for $3,781 in damages, stating that she had backed into a parked vehicle the morning on June 4, shortly after purchasing the policy.

It was later found that the accident had occurred before she purchased the policy, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

She was arraigned on Oct. 23 and release on her own recognizance. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 21 before District Judge Wayne Seibel.