FRESNO (KMJ) – A Modesto man pleads guilty to staging car accidents to bilk insurance companies out of money.
48 year old Alfonso Apu admitted that he staged car accidents in a scheme to defraud insurance companies,
According to court documents, from at least October 2011 until August 2014, Apu conspired with at least six other individuals to stage dozens of car accidents and submit false claims to insurance companies seeking compensation.
The defendants used aliases, false identities, and false addresses to register the vehicles and obtain insurance policies. They also recruited other individuals to allow their cars to be used in a staged accident and to make false claims under their insurance policies.
They offered to repair the vehicles using shops owned by co-defendants, usually performing cosmetic repair or none at all, which allowed them to repair damaged vehicles for an amount significantly less than the payment from an insurance company.
In all, Apu caused at least $115,000 in false insurance claims.
This case is the product of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the California Department of Insurance, Fraud Division.
Cristopher Santiago Sanchez-Becerra, 32, of Stockton, Apu and Sanchez-Becerra each face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Charges are pending against five co-defendants
