SAN DIEGO-  On January 31, 2017 six of nine people charged in connection with an insurance fraud ring in San Diego were arrested.  Two people received notices that they have been charged and must appear in to court, and investigators are still searching for one suspect. They are all charged with 34 felony crimes including filing fraudulent auto insurance claims.

Operation Persistent was a two-year investigation by the California Department of Insurance, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and the California Highway Patrol. It targeted a ring of people who stand accused of staging collisions, filing claims for collisions that never happened, filing claims for previously damaged vehicles and filing claims involving phony vehicle thefts.

“Insurance fraud is a felony crime that increases the cost of insurance for law-abiding consumers,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association President Alan Barcelona. “California  is a hot spot for insurance fraud.  Those who commit it, don’t know the tenacity of Department of Insurance investigators and their law enforcement partners.”

The San Diego ring made false insurance claims totaling approximately $200,000. The defendants bilked 12 insurance companies out of about $125,000. Victim insurance companies include: Allstate, Access, GEICO, Infinity, State Farm, Rental Insurance Services, Fred Loya, Nationwide, Alliance, Farmers, Nations, and Travelers.

Defendants include: Darice Orozco, 37; Maria Linares, 24; Juan Augustin, 30; and Francine Moreno, 25.

As well as: