Appeals Court Affirms Conviction of Ex-Police Chief in Insurance Fraud Case
Article 1 Comment A federal appeals court this month affirmed the conviction of a former Texas police chief who arranged the destruction of a personal vehicle, falsely reported it stolen, and received insurance proceeds. The United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a jury could find beyond a reasonable doubt that Christopher Filline, a police chief in Castroville, conspired with a colleague to commit wire fraud. Filline argued the government failed to show there was agreement to a scheme between two parties. In 2016, Filline and his wife were under serious financial stress, facing $30,000 in credit card debt, and delinquent mortgage and car payments. Filline’s wife drove a 2007 Lincoln Navigator, a car that Filline complained was a “piece of junk.” Ambrose Rymers, who worked under Filline as an animal-control officer, testified that Filline asked him on several occasions to get rid of the Navigator. Sympathetic to Filline’s financial troubles, Rymers contacted cousin with a criminal background to help with destroying the vehicle. The scheme was enacted on July 16, when Rymers’ cousin took the Challenger to a dead-end road in Bexar County, doused it with gasoline, and set it on fire, while Rymers watched. The two...