SANTA ANA– A Santa Ana woman was arraigned May 2, 2016, on charges she submitted a fraudulent insurance claim for more than  $16,000 for a vehicle damaged in a collision she was not even in.   Amezcua Alejandra Rodriguez, 40, is charged with two felony counts of insurance fraud.

On May 29, 2015, Rodriguez’s relative was involved in a minor vehicle collision by hitting a guardrail in Garden Grove. Rodriguez is accused of not being in the vehicle at the time of the collision.

On June 1, 2015, Rodriguez allegedly submitted a claim to Infinity Insurance stating that she was the driver of the vehicle in order to shield her relative from the collision investigation. Rodriguez is accused of subsequently receiving a claim benefit for more than $16,000 from Infinity Insurance.

The California Department of Insurance (CDI) conducted an investigation after Infinity Insurance reviewed Garden Grove Police Department’s report of the crash, which indicated that Rodriguez had not been the driver of the vehicle.

"Insurance fraud, no matter what the dollar amount or the reasons for it, is just that...fraud, and there are serious consequences for it," said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.  "CDI investigators work with local district attorneys to see that insurance fraud cases are investigated and prosecuted."

If convicted, Rodriguez faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison. Rodriguez is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing in June.