Charles City man charged with staging fake accident, insurance fraud

OSAGE — A Charles City man has been charged with staging a fake auto accident in an attempt to collect insurance money.

A criminal complaint accuses 39-year-old Zachary Robbins and another individual of faking a motor vehicle collision in March 2019 at the intersection of Shadow Avenue and 450th Street in Mitchell County. Law enforcement says the two vehicles were intentionally crashed together with Robbins then setting his vehicle on fire, creating an explosion that destroyed the vehicle and everything inside.

The complaint says Robbins lied to Mitchell County authorities about the accident and lied to an insurance company in an attempt to get a more than $70,000 payment.

Robbins has been charged with: first-degree arson, a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison; insurance fraud by presenting false information, a Class D felony; as well as making a false report of an indictable offense to a public entity, a serious misdemeanor.

Robbins was recently arrested and posted bond.