SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A Tooele woman was sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay more than $88,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to defrauding an insurance company.

According to the U.S. District Court of Utah, April Kristina Tinnes, 49, of Tooele pleaded guilty to wire fraud for creating a scheme to defraud Kemper Personal Insurance following a house fire between January 2021 and May 2021.

Authorities reportedly discovered that Tinnes had deliberately started a fire to her home in Tooele on Jan. 16, 2021, so that she would receive insurance payments from Kemper Personal Insurance, as written in a policy for the home that was renewed in late 2020. Tinnes was not living at the residence at the time of the fire but renting a home nearby, court documents stated.

“In furtherance of the scheme, Tinnes caused a sworn video-recorded deposition examination taken by Kemper counsel documenting Tinnes’ false statements in support of her claim, to be transmitted via wire communications in interstate commerce to Kemper investigators,” stated representatives of the U.S. District Court of Utah.

On Wednesday, May 31, Tinnes has been ordered to serve one year in prison and pay over $88,000 in restitution, which she had paid in full. She will also be subjected to three years of supervised release following her release from prison.

“ATF Forensic Auditors and Certified Fire Investigators work in tandem to provide a financial analysis as well as an origin and cause determination in arson-for-profit investigations,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers. “Arson-for-profit schemes, such as this, not only have financial and economic repercussions but also present a serious threat to public safety.”

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Tooele City Police Department and Tooele City Fire Department.