May 10, 2024 - SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — The Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Task Force arrested 12 Southern California residents yesterday after an investigation found they allegedly conspired together to create fraudulent insurance claims to illegally collect over $350,000. The investigation discovered the large-scale organized auto insurance fraud ring was engaged in multiple types of schemes including holding vehicles hostage and collusive collisions. Three additional residents have been charged for their alleged involvement in the organized ring.

The Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Task Force began its investigation in November 2022 after they found out a California Highway Patrol (CHP) non-sworn employee, Rosa Isela Santistevan, 55, of Irvine, was unlawfully selling traffic collision report face pages, which contained personal information of people who had been involved in collisions throughout Southern California.

The investigating task force includes the California Department of Insurance, California Highway Patrol, San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

After the task force served numerous search warrants they seized over 3,500 CHP traffic collision report face pages from the residence of Esmeralda Parga, 26, of Pomona, who the task force determined was connected to Santistevan through the organized ring’s ringleader, Andre Angelo Reyes, 36, of Corona. The conspiracy began after Reyes befriended Santistevan and other CHP employees by donating to various CHP events and parties. Santistevan printed and unlawfully sold thousands of traffic collision face pages to Reyes who would then provide the reports to E. Parga. E. Parga would then contact the parties involved in the collision, pretending to be from their insurance company and coordinate having their vehicle towed to a repair center that they misrepresented as approved by the insurance company.

Unbeknownst to the victims, E. Parga did not represent the insurance company and was stealing the victims’ vehicles. Reyes and E. Parga would then dispatch tow trucks, whose drivers cooperated in the scheme and would pick up the vehicles and tow them to CA Collision, owned by Anthony Gomez, 35, of Jurupa Valley. Once the vehicles were at CA Collision, CA Collision would hold the vehicle hostage and demand cash payment from the insurance companies to have the vehicles released.

During the numerous search warrants, additional evidence was obtained showing the alleged ring was engaged in other types of insurance fraud schemes, including collusive collisions. One of those collisions was recorded by a defendant and discovered on the defendant’s phone during a search warrant. The video depicts the defendants intentionally crashing a BMW sedan into a Polaris Slingshot. The defendants then claimed two separate crashes occurring on the freeway. Reyes was also involved in this scheme along with four other conspirators.

This investigation resulted in 15 suspects being charged with insurance fraud, grand theft by trick, and false impersonation. The charges involved 19 fraudulent claims resulting in a loss of $353,035. Twelve of the 15 suspects were arrested yesterday.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting this case. The San Bernardino County Auto Theft Task Force assisted in obtaining evidence, and executing search and arrest warrants for this case.

Defendants include:

• Andre Angelo Reyes, 36, of Corona; booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center and bail is set at $700,000.
• Rosa Isela Santistevan, 55, of Irvine; booked into the Orange County Jail and bail is set at $700,000.
• Esmeralda Parga, 26, of Pomona; booked into the West Valley Detention Center and bail is set at $700,000.
• Anthony Gomez, 35, of Jurupa Valley; booked into the West Valley Detention Center and bail is set at $700,000.
• Ezequiel Baltazar Orozco, 30, of Los Angeles; charged but not yet in custody.
• Antonio Terrazas Perez Jr., 19, of Los Angeles; booked into the West Valley Detention Center and bail is set at $150,000.
• Erika Garcia, 31, of Los Angeles; charged but not yet in custody.
• Israel Avila Sandoval, 45, of Pomona; booked into the West Valley Detention Center and bail is set at $150,000.
• Luis Alberto Ramirez Jr., 32, of San Bernardino; booked into the West Valley Detention Center and bail is set at $100,000.
• Robert Arzac, 49, of West Covina; booked into the Orange County Jail and bail is set at $50,000.
• Antonio Ramirez Perez, 44, of Los Angeles; booked into the West Valley Detention Center and bail is set at $350,000.
• Brian Anthony Lopez, 25, of Anaheim
• Emily Marie Boatman, 26, of Ontario; booked into the West Valley Detention Center and bail is set at $700,000.
• Ricardo Parga Jr., 23, of Pomona; booked into the West Valley Detention Center and bail is set at $50,000.
• Steven Anthony Alfaro, 38, of Buena Park; charged but not yet in custody.

Led by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, the California Department of Insurance is the consumer protection agency for the nation's largest insurance marketplace and safeguards all of the state’s consumers by fairly regulating the insurance industry. Under the Commissioner’s direction, the Department uses its authority to protect Californians from insurance rates that are excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory, oversee insurer solvency to pay claims, set standards for agents and broker licensing, perform market conduct reviews of insurance companies, resolve consumer complaints, and investigate and prosecute insurance fraud. Consumers are urged to call 1-800-927-4357 with any questions or contact us at www.insurance.ca.gov via webform or online chat. Non-media inquiries should be directed to the Consumer Hotline at 800-927-4357. Teletypewriter (TTY), please dial 800-482-4833.
Source: CA. Dept. of Ins.