Ohio restaurant owner convicted of insurance fraud

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — A southwest Ohio restaurant owner has been convicted of insurance fraud for two reported break-ins that authorities say were staged.

Forty-four-year-old Eva Christian could face up to 17 years in prison when sentenced June 6. She was convicted Tuesday on two counts each of insurance fraud and making false alarms, and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.

The Dayton Daily News reports that Christian denied wrongdoing when she took the stand at Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. Her attorney expects to appeal.

Prosecutors say Christian faked a break-in at her home and steakhouse restaurant in 2009 to collect insurance money.

Mary Montgomery, an assistant county prosecutor, says Christian was “like the little boy who cried wolf — only she was the wolf.”