A Long Island, N.Y., insurance agent allegedly cheated several insurance companies, including Lincoln General Insurance and Hereford Insurance, out of more than $150,000 by underinsuring nearly two dozen vans.

Jeffery Metviner, 45, who works out of his residence in Long Island, was arraigned recently on 37 criminal counts in Queens Criminal Court, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office. The counts include two counts each of second- and third-degree insurance fraud and 21 counts of first-degree falsifying business records.

Metviner faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, authorities said.

Metviner and another unidentified individual, who had not been apprehended, met in Jamaica, Queens, and conspired to file false insurance paperwork with insurers such as Auto One Insurance, Farm Family Insurance and others on 21 commuter vans commonly known as “dollar vans,” according to authorities.

Metviner is accused of intentionally classifying the dollar vans at a cheaper rate class, as vanpools, resulting in the van owners paying lower insurance premiums. As a result of the scheme, Metviner is accused of defrauding insurers out of more than $150,000 in owed premiums.

Vanpools transport a group of up to 15 people with a similar commute pattern in a van on a daily basis and share the cost of the monthly ride versus dollar vans, which operate commercially as shared taxis, with pick ups and drop offs along routes commonly used by buses or the subway.

New York State Insurance Superintendent James J. Wrynn said in a statement that rate evasion like this is “a serious crime” that “victimizes” businesses and drivers who pay higher premiums “because of the greed of a few dishonest people.”

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown added that by allegedly failing to properly insure the vehicles, Metviner “is alleged to have created a significant public safety issue for those members of the riding public who frequent dollar vans.

“If, for example, an underinsured vehicle was involved in an accident, the passenger insurance coverage limit would be a great deal less and any rider whose injury expenses exceeded the limit could find themselves having to pay out of pocket,” he said.