Wyoming man arrested after stalking investigation leads to insurance fraud allegations
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DRIGGS — A 33-year-old Wyoming man was arrested after police say he faked a car burglary for insurance money.
Paul Shapiro is charged with felony insurance fraud and misdemeanor false information provided to an officer.
Shapiro was also charged in a separate case in July with felony grand theft, felony burglary, and misdemeanor petty theft.
Burglary report
On Aug. 17, 2023, Shapiro reported a burglary and grand theft to a Teton County, Idaho, Sheriff’s deputy, according to court documents.
Shapiro allegedly claimed he left his truck parked at the Mike Harris Campground in Victor around 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 16.
He told the deputy he rode his e-bike from the truck to Driggs to meet with a friend, and when he got back, many items had been stolen from the truck, including guns, snowboards, cross county skis, six mountain bikes, Milwaukee and Makita tools, and “a lot of other items” according to police reports.
Shapiro told the deputy he would make a list of the stolen items, and he needed to contact the insurance company.
Deputies say Shapiro never provided a list of the missing items to them, and the case was closed due to the “victim unwilling to cooperate.”
The investigation
On May 30, 2024, a Teton County Sheriff’s deputy was assisting in a first-degree stalking investigation against Shapiro.
Shapiro was arrested that day during a traffic stop for allegedly violating a civil protection order.
On May 31, Teton County Sheriff’s deputies helped the Jackson Police Department serving at search warrant at Shapiro’s house in Jackson, Wyoming.
According to court documents, deputies found evidence of “stalking, property thefts, check fraud, and burglaries in various jurisdictions, including Idaho and Wyoming.”
On June 4, Shapiro reportedly made a jail call from the Jefferson County Jail, where he was booked, asking a family member to pay for his storage unit in Driggs.
Shapiro reportedly told the family member that he kept the storage unit under the fake name, “Mike Jones.”
Deputies later obtained a search warrant for the storage unit, where they reportedly found stolen property from several burglaries around Teton County.
On Aug. 6, deputies began searching Shapiro’s phone, where they found a note from Aug. 17 at 5:23 a.m. labeled “Car Theft Insurance Claim.” The note lists the same items Shapiro reported were stolen from his truck.
Through the metadata, the deputy was able to determine the note was written on Microsoft Excel on July 14, over a month before Shapiro reported the theft.
According to police reports, the value of the items Shapiro alleged had been stolen was over $100,000.
After the multiple searches, deputies discovered that most of the items Shapiro said were stolen had been located in his truck, storage unit and home.
On Aug. 7, the deputy contacted Shapiro’s insurance company and confirmed he made an official report of stolen property, but the company had not yet paid him any of it.
A summons was issued for Shapiro on Aug. 29, and he was served the summons on Sept. 4. He appeared in court on Wednesday for an initial appearance, but further hearings have not yet been scheduled.
If convicted, Shapiro could face up to 15 and a half months in prison for the insurance fraud case.
In the July theft case, he could face up to 25 years in prison.
Though Shapiro has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.