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What do you get when you combine an aggressive investigation by Progressive Insurance Company, a fearless Orange County District Attorney investigator and six crooks?
A felony complaint and six arrests, that’s what!
OCDA Michael Capizzi announced the filing of the complaint and the arrests of the six suspects. The six are alleged to have staged an automobile accident, created false medical records and filed insurance claims seeking approximately $50,000.
In October 1993, investigators opened an undercover investigation involving a staged automobile accident ring. The nature of the undercover operation required an OCDA investigator to pose as a participant in a staged accident that was to take place in Irvine, California.
The undercover investigator was hired by the suspects to participate in a staged accident. The defendants paid him $2,000 to be involved. The suspects’ scheme was to have the undercover investigator be the at-fault driver and claim he rear-ended a defendant’s car. Prior to going to the staged accident site, the defendants damaged the cars to make it appear they were involved in an accident. Four of the defendants then got into the damaged car, drove to a location in Irvine and called the local police to report a personal injury “accident.” At the alleged accident scene, the four defendants complained to the police of sore backs and necks caused by the accident.
In the following months, the four “injured victims” hired a personal injury attorney, went to a doctor and filed claims with an insurance company seeking approximately $50,000 as compensation.
The charges include Conspiracy to Commit Insurance Fraud (P.C. section 182/550), Conspiracy to Commit Grand Theft (P.C. section 182/487) and Insurance Fraud (P.C. section 550). The maximum punishment is five years in state prison and a $50,000 fine.
The defendant’s are identified as follows:
FLORITA ANCHETA INTERIOR, 1-20-45
FLORANTE GABINO INTERIOR, 10-7-50
GEREROSO SANTOS CARIAGA, JR., 7-28-66
LUISITA SALCEDO CATAMISAN, 3-27-65
MARK ANTHONY SAMSON, 12-31-59
ARMANDO SALCEDO CATAMISAN, 4-29-56
Team work pays!
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