Two arrested after police investigate arson fraud case
NORTH GREENBUSH, N.Y (NEWS10) -- On Friday, law enforcement agencies announced the arrests of Christa Whitbeck, 39, of Albany, and John Martin, 27, of Rensselaer. The arrests were made following a months-long investigation into an arson fraud case in August.
According to the North Greenbush Police Department, Whitbeck contacted police on the night of August 20th and reported that her 2008 Ford Taurus had been stolen. Whitbeck claimed she was shopping and that her car had disappeared from the Van Rensselaer Square parking lot.
At around 9:40 p.m., New York State Police and the Averill Fire Department responded to the area of Huntley Road in Sand Lake for a vehicle fire. It was determined that the fire had been intentionally started, and the unoccupied vehicle was identified to be the one Whitbeck claimed was missing.
Police say there were inconsistencies in Whitbeck's story, and additional evidence wasn't adding up properly. It was finally determined that she had worked with Martin to deliberately destroy the vehicle to collect insurance money. Police discovered that Whitbeck had filed a claim with her insurance company, reporting that the vehicle was stolen and destroyed on the same day she told North Greenbush Police it was missing.
The North Greenbush Police arrested Whitbeck for Falsely Reporting an Incident and Filing a False Report. She also faces charges of Insurance Fraud and Conspiracy from the New York State Police. She was released to return to North Greenbush Town Court on December 20. Martin was arrested by New York State Police on Arson and Conspiracy charges. He was arraigned at the East Greenbush Town Court and remanded to the Rensselaer County Correctional Facility without bail.
“We believe that she had conspired with the other individual to have the vehicle taken to another location and destroyed in order to collect the insurance,” said Chief David M. Keevern of the North Greenbush Police Department. “We thank the State Police for their assistance in the investigation. Cases like this highlight how such partnerships can be a force multiplier on drawn-out investigations where there is a lot of information to follow up on.”