Tulsa Man Receives Life Sentence for Assaulting Insurance Adjuster

 A Tulsa man who filed a bogus insurance claim and assaulted an insurance adjuster has been sentenced to life in prison, the Oklahoma Insurance Department said. 

Prentice E. Ponds II, 43, was on parole at the time of the crime. He has a long criminal history with multiple felony convictions, the OID said. 

8/13/2015 Related Story: Police: Tulsa Man Buys Damaged Car Online, Files Insurance Claim

“Oklahoma is a safer place with this man behind bars,” said Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak. “While it’s common for insurance fraud to be committed in conjunction with other crimes, we don’t typically see violence like this. But it does happen. I am extremely proud of the work done by our Anti-Fraud Unit to get this violent criminal off the streets. I also want to thank the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office for its excellent work on this case.”
Ponds was arrested in August 2015 after an investigation by the Oklahoma Insurance Department’s Anti-Fraud Unit. 

Investigators found that Ponds filed a fraudulent insurance claim on a 2014 Chevy Camaro with pre-existing damage he’d purchased off eBay. 

When an insurance adjuster went to Ponds’ home to question him about the claim, Ponds became angry. He attacked the adjuster and took his file and audio recorder. The insurance adjuster was later treated for a head laceration and broken ribs, according to reports.

Last week a Tulsa County jury convicted Ponds of robbery and insurance fraud. He was sentenced to life for the robbery conviction and 25 years for the insurance fraud conviction. Ponds’ prior felony convictions include assault and battery, robbery and burglary.