FRESNO COUNTY – On January 25, 2021, the California Department of Insurance (CDI) announced that Gustavo Silva, 32, of Firebaugh, was arrested for multiple felony counts of insurance fraud after allegedly hiding his vehicle in a warehouse where he worked and then reporting the vehicle stolen.

A CDI investigation revealed Silva reported to the Firebaugh Police Department and his insurance company that his 2018 Honda Accord was stolen by an unknown person while the vehicle was warming up. A few months later, during an unrelated commercial burglary investigation at Silva’s employer, the Firebaugh Police Department learned a black Honda Accord matching Silva’s stolen vehicle was found in a locked warehouse but had since been moved.

The Firebaugh Police Department later served an unrelated search warrant and found Silva’s Honda Accord, along with other stolen vehicles, inside a semi-truck trailer at an address in Firebaugh.

Based on Silva’s alleged fraudulent statements, his insurance company paid approximately $23,000 to the financer of the Honda Accord.

“It took just a few months for law enforcement to discover this fraudulent act, identify and arrest the suspect,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.  “Insurance fraud  can be discovered in a number of ways, and with the technology of today, it’s just a matter of time before investigators come knocking with arrest warrants in hand.”

Silva was arrested by the Firebaugh Police Department on January 23, 2021. The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting this case.