Man Gets 20 Years In Prison For Violation Of Colorado Organized Crime Control Act

DENVER (CBS4) - An Arapahoe County judge on Friday sentenced a man to 20 years in prison for a violation of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act (COCCA)

Mikel Mewbourn, 42, was also ordered to pay approximately $280,000 in restitution to his victims.

Fred Yarger with the Attorney General's Office said Mewbourn pleaded guilty to the COCCA charge after reaching an agreement with prosecutors in November, 2011.

"Mewbourn's sentence stems from a 24 count indictment, filed in April 2011, that charged Mewbourn with having organized and staged several vehicle accidents, vehicle thefts, and other property damage for the purpose of defrauding multiple insurance companies," Yarger said in a statement.

Yarger said Mewbourn recruited friends to assist him.

"In one notable scheme, Mewbourn staged the theft of a Ferrari worth over $100,000, collected the insurance proceeds, and later sold parts of the vehicle over the Internet," Yarger said.

The indictments against Mewbourn and his codefendants was the result of a lengthy investigation conducted by members of the Attorney General's Auto Theft Unit and Insurance Fraud Unit.