Department of Insurance urges Californians to document and report suspicious crashes as part of its ongoing anti-fraud efforts

November 24, 2025 - SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., - Four people have pleaded no-contest to felony insurance fraud and assault charges for their role in staging a collision targeting a rideshare driver. Fifth individual, alleged co-conspirator, Deshawn Perater-Nickson, 26, of Adelanto, faces additional charges of false imprisonment, pimping, and pandering and is due in court January 26, 2026.

Photo not of this incident   (file photo)

Ledontae Pope, 30, of San Bernardino, and Kalil Davis, 27, of Hesperia, were arrested on January 24, 2025 for insurance fraud and assault with a deadly weapon related to a staged collision involving a rideshare vehicle.

Investigators from the Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force (IEAIFTF) found on November 23, 2024 a collision involving Pope, Davis, John Murillo, 37, of San Bernardino, occurred on the I-215 in San Bernardino. The suspects ordered a rideshare and during that ride, a separate vehicle driven by Murillo, intentionally collided with the rideshare vehicle driven by the victim. Perater-Nickson was the registered owner of the vehicle that Murillo was driving. The suspects intended to file bodily injury claims against the rideshare driver’s insurance and collect the insurance payout.

The incident was originally reported to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) as a hit and run and the suspects traveling in the rideshare vehicle claimed injuries and were transported to the hospital via ambulance. The CHP then reported the collision to the IEAIFTF, after the rideshare driver came forward and suspected they were intentionally hit by the other vehicle.

On January 27, 2025 the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office charged Pope, Davis, and Perater-Nickson with assault with a deadly weapon and insurance fraud. At the time of their arrests, two of the three suspects were on probation for previous convictions for narcotics trafficking, assault with a deadly weapon, and felony possession of a firearm.

Additional search warrants were conducted after the arrests of Pope, Davis, and Perater-Nickson which led to the discovery of the identities of two additional suspects. The driver, Murillo and co-conspirator Klydale Moses, 24, of Fontana, were arrested on May 19, 2025 on felony charges of insurance fraud and knowingly cause or participate in a vehicle collision/insurance claim. Moses was not in either vehicle at the time of the collision, but was identified as a co-conspirator and participant of the fraud scheme.

Between September 30, 2025 and October 30, 2025, the following defendants pleaded no contest to felony charges:

• Pope pleaded no contest to knowingly cause or participate in a vehicle collision/Insurance Claim and Assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. Pope was sentenced to 90 days in county jail and two years felony probation.
• Davis pleaded no contest to Insurance Fraud and Assault with a deadly weapon. Davis was sentenced to 180 days county jail and two years felony probation.
• Murillo pleaded no contest to knowingly cause or participate in a vehicular collision/Insurance Claim. Murillo has not been sentenced and remains in custody, but agreed to two years state prison as part of his plea.
• Moses pleaded no contest to Insurance Fraud. Moses was sentenced to 90 days in county jail and two years felony probation.

Perater-Nickson’s was arrested on January 24, 2025 for insurance fraud and assault with a deadly weapon. His case remains in court. While in custody, on March 13, 2025, he was charged with additional charges related to false imprisonment, pimping, and pandering as a result of evidence discovered during the IEAIFTF investigation.

The IEAIFTF is comprised of peace officers from the California Department of Insurance, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, and California Highway Patrol. This case is being prosecuted by the San Bernardino District Attorney’s Office.

Note:

• If you suspect you or someone you know are the victim of a staged collision insist on a police report; document as much information about the collision as possible; use a cell phone to document the post-collision damage with photographs or video; ask the peace officer to positively identify everyone involved; and report the suspicious collision to the California Department of Insurance by calling 800-927-4357 or visit our website at insurance.ca.gov.
  
  Source: CA. Dept. of Ins.