Press release: People v. Matthew Alan Seybert

Date: December 7, 2001
Case: People v. Matthew Alan Seybert
Contact: Krista Kastanos, Insurance Fraud
Telephone: 874-8992

District Attorney Jan Scully announced today Matthew Alan Seybert was sentenced to three years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Jane Ure as a result of his conviction for insurance fraud. Seybert had fraudulently reported a Corvette belonging to him as having been stolen. He made a claim against his insurance company and received a settlement in excess of $23,000 from Farmer's Insurance.

Officers discovered the Corvette in question when serving search warrants at his place of business, Mower Express, in Elk Grove. The officers were initially led to this location by complaints from merchants who reported that Seybert had repeatedly ordered expensive merchandise from them, accepted delivery of the merchandise, and then refused to pay for it. Seybert claimed that an unknown individual had used his business name to order the property without his permission. Seybert then disclaimed any knowledge of the whereabouts of this property, which totaled tens of thousands of dollars in value. These goods were discovered at his business along with the allegedly stolen Corvette. Officers were able to return most of the merchandise back to the true owners.

Seybert was also ordered to repay Farmer's Insurance Company $23,575.70 in restitution as well as to reimburse the other merchants who had not received all their property back. Additionally, Seybert was ordered to pay a $200 restitution fine to the State of California.