Ex-deputy hopeful sentenced for insurance fraud

Hugh O. Whitaker Jr. had two big problems when he got into an accident last year: The car suffered more than $4,000 damage, and he didn't have insurance.

So Whitaker, who was waiting to be sworn in as a deputy sheriff, got insurance two days later, May 20, 2004, through the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund.

And five days after that, the Severn man reported he'd gotten into an accident on May 22 and submitted a claim for $4,064.96. It was a clever scam, except that he got caught.

Whitaker, 34, pleaded guilty Friday in county Circuit Court to felony insurance fraud. He was sentenced to a suspended three-year prison term...