Two more people sentenced in Ron Wells fraud case

Melissa Luck by Melissa Luck

SPOKANE, Wash – Two more defendants have agreed to plead guilty and have been sentenced in a massive fraud case that also implicated prominent Spokane developer Ron Wells.

Wells and several others have pleaded guilty to charges connected to a massive case, where people faked car accidents and other injuries, then accepted insurance claims for their health care and damage costs.

Wednesday’s sentencing of two women brings the total of convicted and sentenced defendants in the case to eleven.

In sentencing paperwork filed Wednesday in the Eastern District of Washington, it’s revealed that Brittany Harris pleaded guilty to four counts, including mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and conspiracy to commit health care fraud. She was sentenced to 13 months in prison on each count, but those sentenced will run concurrently.

She was ordered to pay $135,000 in restitution.

Michele Smith pleaded guilty to five similar counts and was sentenced to serve 10 months on each. She’ll have to pay back $76,000.

Wells, best known for his development of the Ridpath property in downtown Spokane, will be sentenced for his role in February.

COPYRIGHT 2020 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.