HONOLULU (AP) - A former Honolulu police officer suspected of staging a home burglary pleaded guilty to two charges of insurance fraud related to the incident.
Travis E. Copeland pleaded guilty Thursday and faces up to five years in prison for each count.
Copeland will ask the court to defer his guilty pleas and give him the opportunity to avoid conviction, his lawyer said. His sentencing is scheduled for October.
The officer staged a burglary at his Oahu home and then, from October 2017 through March, made insurance claims for the loss of electronics, cash, liquor and jewelry, including engagement and wedding rings, the state’s Insurance Division said. Copeland’s home insurer paid him $4,796.
Copeland also claimed his Mercedes-Benz had been stolen, but eyewitnesses reported seeing it burn nearby.
He admitted to staging the burglary and destroying his vehicle to make false insurance claims before his automobile insurer could pay $13,393 for the claim, the state said.
Copeland had been an officer with the Honolulu police department for 10 years until he was released in March, the department said.
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