Lincoln man bilked State Farm of $23,000, then tried to get more, police say

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — State Farm says one of its clients in Lincoln was not a good neighbor.

Manuel Rivera, 29, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of three counts of insurance fraud costing more than $5,000.

In October 2022, Rivera filed a claim with State Farm after an alleged theft at his northwest Lincoln home, court documents say.

The next month, he submitted another claim, saying he only just realized that an $8,000 “set of rims” was taken in the theft, an arrest affidavit alleges.

Rivera presented receipts for the rims and the other allegedly stolen items, and State Farm paid him $23,043.53.

Alarms were raised in March 2023, when Rivera reported another theft at his home.

He filed a claim alleging that he lost more than $11,000 in belongings, an affidavit says.

But police said that when a State Farm investigator started asking him questions, Rivera withdrew the claim.

Meanwhile, Rivera had opened another insurance policy with HomeFirst Agency.

So after withdrawing his State Farm claim, he submitted the same claim to HomeFirst, according to court documents.

Police said the receipts he sent to the insurers were “bogus,” suggesting that he never owned some of the items he claimed were stolen.

For example, according to an affidavit, the receipt he showed for the rims was from an order that was canceled before it was delivered.

Rivera appeared in court Friday, and a judge set his bond at $5,000. He must pay $500 to be released from jail.

Rivera is due back in court on Aug. 27.