Dodge Center woman faces felony insurance fraud charges

A Dodge Center woman is accused of insurance fraud stemming from what authorities are calling a fake incident last winter in a downtown Rochester parking ramp.
Alison Helen Lutterman, 39, faces a felony charge that carries a sentence of 10 years in prison, a $20,000 fine or both, according to the complaint filed recently in District Court in Rochester.
The complaint states that on Feb. 2 multiple officers with the Rochester Police Department were dispatched to a robbery that had allegedly occurred in a local parking ramp. A responding officer interviewed Lutterman in her office near the parking ramp.
Lutterman told the officer she had parked her vehicle on the third floor of the parking ramp and walked toward the door to enter the elevator. According to Lutterman, a man who had been lying on the ground sprang up and pinned her against a wall, saying “Gimme your money!”
She gave the man her wedding ring, and the man ran away, the complaint said. Lutterman estimated her ring’s value as being $12,000. She described her assailant as between the ages of 20 and 30, about 5’10” to 6’ tall, with a scruffy beard and wearing a black and red coat.
While the officer was interviewing Lutterman, other officers located a man matching Lutterman’s description. Lutterman was asked to go identify the man and she declined, saying she felt lightheaded. The officer walked with her to a nearby parking ramp, but Lutterman said the incident had occurred at a different parking ramp, according to the complaint.
Once the correct ramp was established, an officer started reviewing security camera footage. This officer watched Lutterman’s vehicle arrive and park in the ramp before she exited her vehicle and walked toward the door to enter the elevator. A man was sleeping on the floor near the elevator, but he didn’t move or wake up when Lutterman walked past him.
Further review of the security camera footage showed Lutterman exiting the elevator on a different floor, where she appeared to be smiling and walking at a normal pace. During the entire review of the security footage, there was no observance of a robbery, the complaint says.
A Rochester Police Department detective was assigned to follow up on the case. He contacted Lutterman, who provided the same information she’d given previously. She said her ring was valued at between $12,000 and $16,000, and that she had insurance on the ring.
Lutterman had contacted her insurance company, she said, and they requested a police report number, but Lutterman said she was waiting on the Rochester police to provide that.
She also reported to the detective that she had experienced emotional stress and anxiety since the incident. And Lutterman stated she did not want to conduct a photo lineup and expressed relief that “this was all done,” even though the investigation was still active.
The police detective reviewed the surveillance footage again and noted that there was no evidence of a robbery occurring according to Lutterman’s claims.
Upon being notified of such, Lutterman said she didn’t know why the robbery was not caught on tape. She also asked to “just drop the charges,” when pressed about what had happened.
The detective notified Lutterman that 10-15 officers responded to her call, and many officers spent time working the case. The detective also contacted Lutterman’s insurance company, with a representative there confirming she’d submitted a claim on Feb. 8. The ring she said was stolen had been appraised in September 2021 with a value of $16,800.
The complaint ends with Lutterman being summoned to appear in court. Her first appearance is scheduled for Jan. 25, according to Olmsted County District Court staff.