Bay Area Insurance Fraud Sting Leads to 4 Arrests

An automobile insurance fraud sting operation led to the
arrest of four people, including three from Contra Costa County, officials said
Friday.

The undercover sting was conducted by the California
Department of Insurance, Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and the
National Insurance Crime Bureau.

In one instance, employees at a repair shop allegedly
provided undercover officers with falsified written documentation to support fraudulent
insurance claims.

In another, an undercover officer was coached by body shop
workers “on telling a phony story to the insurance company, including
allegedly telling the undercover officer to lie about when and how the vehicle
damage occurred,” California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in a
news release.

The four people arrested on felony counts of insurance fraud
are Estephanie Gonzalez-Marquez, 26, of Pittsburg; Marco Antonio Hernandez Santizo,
49, of San Pablo; Kyle Alan Coburn, 30, of Elk Grove; and Vu Phong Hoang, 33,
of Clayton.

“These suspects brazenly worked to rip off insurance
companies by making bogus insurance claims,” Lara said. “We are
tackling the issue of insurance fraud head-on and are taking proactive steps to
educate the public and provide a deterrent message to those knowingly breaking
the law. Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime.”

Source: NBC Bay Area