Ulster County Man Arrested in Bizarre Car Insurance Scam

A Napanoch man is under arrest after police said he filed a false police report and collected an insurance payout for a vehicle he reportedly still had in his possession in Ulster County.

Napanoch Man Arrested in Car Insurance Scam

According to a New York State Police press release, 22-year-old Yaakov Handler of Napanoch was arrested on October 28 following an investigation into an alleged insurance fraud scheme involving a Dodge Charger.

Dodge Charger Insurance Scam in Ulster County

Police said the investigation began back on September 11th after officers with the Liberty Police Department located a Dodge Charger on Route 17 in the Town of Monroe that had previously been reported stolen in December 2024.

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After looking into the situation, investigators determined that Handler, who owned the vehicle, had allegedly reported the Dodge Charger stolen and received an insurance payout for the vehicle, despite still having possession of it.

Following the investigation, troopers took Handler into custody on October 28.

Charges Filed Against Ulster County Man

Handler is now facing several charges, including:

• Third-degree insurance fraud
• Third-degree grand larceny
• Third-degree falsely reporting an incident

Following his arrest, Handler was arraigned in Ulster County Centralized Arraignment Part Court and released on his own recognizance. Handler is scheduled to appear in Town of Monroe Court on November 30 for further proceedings.

As with all criminal cases, the charges are accusations, and Handler is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. If there has been a change to this information, such as charges being dropped or dismissed, please email me at CJ@HudsonValleyCountry.com to make the necessary change.