Pocketed more than $67,000 in illegal commissions LOS ANGELES – On February 9, 2016, California Department of Insurance investigators arrested former licensed insurance agent Teresa Marie Davis, 53, of Pomona, on multiple counts of identity theft and grand theft in an alleged bogus life insurance policy scam in which she collected more than $67,000 in […]
62
44 Cited in CSLB Stings in Southern California
On February 10-11, 2016, Contractors State License Board (CSLB) Investigators conducted three undercover stings in Southern California in which 44 people were cited for contracting without a license. The undercover operations were held in Santa Maria, and in the La Canada Flintridge and Mount Washington communities in the greater Los Angeles area. “Forty-four people in […]
DIR Investigation Leads to $50,000 Back Pay for Five House Cleaning Workers
SAN FRANCISCO— As a result of an investigation conducted by Department of Industrial Relations investigators, five house cleaning workers in San Francisco will receive an average of $50,000 each in back pay. On February 10, 2016, Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su announced the $265,000 settlement on behalf of five workers who were victims of wage […]
Long Beach Couple Sentenced for Their Roles in $1.5 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
California DOJ’s Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse assisted in investigation On January 29, 2016, the former owner and the former operator of a durable medical equipment supply company based in Long Beach, were sentenced for their roles in a $1.5 million Medicare fraud scheme. Amalya Cherniavsky, 41, and her husband, Vladislav Tcherniavsky, 46, […]
13 New Indictments in Operation Backlash
Department of Insurance investigates one of the largest workers’ compensation health care insurance bribery schemes in the department’s history SAN DIEGO – Operation Backlash first made headlines back in November, when eight suspects, including doctors and their associates, were indicted in a bribery scheme that ripped off insurance companies and lead to millions of dollars […]
Casino Operator Agrees to Plead Guilty to Charges of Violating Anti-Money Laundering Statutes
Investigation conducted by California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Gambling Control and IRS LOS ANGELES –The operator of the Normandie Casino in Gardena agreed, in court papers filed on January 22, 2016, to plead guilty to charges that it violated anti-money laundering provisions of the Bank Secrecy Act. As part of an agreement with federal prosecutors, […]
Kia Dancing Hamster Sentenced in Disability Fraud Case
LOS ANGELES- On January 21, 2016, Leroy Barnes, 29, the actor who portrayed a dancing hamster in Kia car commercials pleaded no contest to insurance fraud, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. This was a California Department of Insurance investigation that resulted in Barnes’ arrest back in 2014. Barnes received state […]
CSLEA Stands With Assemblymember Cooper in Fight Against Human Traffickers
Suspects’ cell phones are key to investigations, but law enforcement can’t access data, even with a warrant SACRAMENTO – It is called “full-disk encryption” or FDE and it stands between law enforcement and successful investigations and prosecutions. FDE is the new operating systems that cell phone manufacturers began using in 2014. The only way to […]
CSLEA Member, Investigator Tamara Kessler Recovers $650,000 for Elderly Victims of Insurance Fraud
Former insurance agent sentenced to 10 years in prison SANTA BARBARA— Kudos to our California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) Fraternal Order of Police Member, California Department of Insurance Investigator Tamara Kessler, who secured $650,000 in refunded money for two elderly victims of insurance fraud by ex-insurance agent Joseph Anthony Mele, 31, of Ventura. “The […]
Owners of Janitorial Company Indicted for $7 Million Insurance Fraud and Tax Evasion
SAN DIEGO – A grand jury in San Diego has indicted the owners of the janitorial company Good Neighbor Services, as well as six accomplices for a massive, ongoing insurance fraud and tax evasion scheme amounting to $7 million. “This case involved extensive work by state investigators with the California Department of Insurance, Employment Development […]
