Coupled arraigned in insurance fraud

District Attorney Gregory Totten reported that Manoj Majithia, 51, and his wife, Poonam Majithia, 36, have been arraigned on two felony counts of insurance fraud.

According to information from the Interinsurance Exchange of the Automobile Club, the couple made a fraudulent claim for insurance reimbursement for damages to the right side of their car caused by an auto accident.

Investigation by the district attorney's office auto insurance fraud unit established that the claimed damage was from a prior accident for which the pair had made a request in 2002 to another insurance company to repair the same damages.

The case is set for an early disposition conference on Tues., Nov. 21. The defendants each face maximum penalties totaling 12 years in prison.