But when the Shakopee insurance agent submitted the ring's certificate of value a second time — with an altered date to a different insurance company — he was caught, according to criminal charges filed last month in Scott County District Court.
Reiffenberger, 33, who co-owns River Valley Insurance Group in Shakopee, has been charged in Scott County District Court with one felony count of insurance fraud.
According to the criminal complaint:
In December 2009, Reiffenberger filed a claim with Country Mutual Insurance alleging his wife's wedding ring was accidentally discarded with some trash. He submitted a certificate of value from Wedgewood Jewelers in Woodbury and was paid $6,031.
Less than two years later, Reiffenberger made another claim — to Wilson Mutual Insurance on April 14, 2011. He alleged that his wife, a teacher, lost the ring at the school where she worked.
When Reiffenberger submitted a certificate of value that appeared to be the same one used for Country Mutual, Wilson Mutual told Reiffenberger it would require further investigation. The next day he withdrew his claim, alleging a school janitor found the ring.
Minnesota Department of Commerce detectives showed the certificates of value to the owner of Wedgewood Jewelers, as well as photos taken of Reiffenberger's wife's ring while she was interviewed by detectives at her school in December 2011.
Not only had the original certificate's July 22, 2002 purchase date been altered to July 22, 2007 when submitted to Wilson Mutual, the ring worn by Reiffenberger's wife was the original purchased in 2002, the jeweler told detectives. "He said the defendant's wife's ring would have been the only ring of that style that he sold," the criminal complaint says.
A Shakopee resident, Reiffenberger opened River Valley Insurance here in April 2010. He previously worked five years for Country Financial in Savage. He volunteered in the past as a Chamber of Commerce ambassador, welcoming new businesses to Shakopee, but is no longer active.
Reiffenberger did not respond to a request for comment from the Shakopee Valley News. Charged with one felony count of insurance fraud in mid-February, he has been summoned to appear in court April 2. If convicted, the maximum penalty is 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
----------------------------------------------------------------
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the investigation to Shakopee Police. It was handled by the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
>
We publish an annual Resident’s Guide for each of our communities. It’s a tremendous source of local information – containing lists of services, names of organizations, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and much more. Keep it handy; use it often. You can find information from the Resident’s Guide here, or order a copy of the publication from our Circulation Department by calling (952) 345-6682 or e-mailing 
Southwest Newspapers’ weekly community papers have histories that go as far back as the Civil War era. Several were started from scratch as our communities began to grow in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s. These popular newspapers routinely win awards of excellence from organizations like the Minnesota Newspaper Association. 
I hope these people have not had any children yet.