US Attorney: Man's hand cut off with polesaw in insurance fraud scheme

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A Cayce man has been charged with insurance fraud in an incident where a man lost his hand.

Gerald B. Hardin, 34, has been charged with six crimes, including mail fraud in a May 2008 incident in Sumter County where a man’s hand was amputated by a pole saw, U.S. Attorneys say. He made is first court appearance Tuesday and is being held on $100,000 bond.

According to his indictment, Hardin and another person used a pole saw to intentionally cut of the hand of a third participant in a homeowners fraud scheme. The indictment goes on to say tha the men submitted claims under a homeowners insurance policy and three accidental death and dismemberment policies to receive over $671,000.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Columbia. If convicted, Hardin faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

―R. Darren Price

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US Attorney: Man's hand cut off with polesaw in insurance fraud scheme

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