Des Moines, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division report 54-year-old Billy Joe Sams, of Bellevue, NE (& formerly Council Bluffs, IA), has pled guilty to one count of Theft Third Degree (Aggravated Misdemeanor) following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau. As a result of the plea agreement, Sams will serve up to two years in prison and is required to pay restitution in the amount of $17,195.23 along with a suspended fine of $855.

The charges against Sams stem from an investigation which began in 2020. According to criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Fraud Bureau in September of 2020, Sams submitted a claim to his insurer involving a motorcycle accident. Sams provided fictitious information regarding the date of the accident and injuries sustained in order to obtain insurance benefits he would not otherwise have been entitled to.

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

The IID says no additional information will be provided at this time.