Minnesota Mutual Life vigorously defended the claim but decided to pay Bently's wife in 1990 after an Idaho judge determined that Bently was dead. Bently testified he left Idaho because he did not want to bring shame on his wife and children. He said he had accumulated significant debt which he could not pay off and faced possible criminal charges resulting from some business dealings. On Tuesday, Bently was convicted by a different jury of abandoning his children. He also faces sentencing for that charge on April 3.
Insurance fraud is a serious matter.
Lance added his congratulations to Virginia Bond of the Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney's office for excellent work in the abandonment trial. The Attorney General said his office prosecutes numerous insurance fraud cases throughout the state. It's pretty clear the jurors of this state believe this to be a serious offense worthy of our efforts to combat it. The Attorney General added that he is sponsoring legislation to make such prosecutions more efficient.