What you need to know

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What you need to know

The Brief

The Department of Insurance is warning drivers about a vehicle hostage scam sweeping SoCal.

Authorities have investigated multiple cases, leading to charges against 16 individuals.

You are urged not to sign any documents until you have talked to your insurance company.

LOS ANGELES – The California Department of Insurance is warning drivers about a rise in scams involving tow truck companies in Southern California.

The scammers target car accident victims, holding their vehicles hostage for cash, officials said.

An investigation by the Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force has led to charges against 16 individuals involved in a large-scale auto insurance fraud ring.

It starts with a fake tow truck

What we know

The fraud ring allegedly conspired to create fraudulent insurance claims, collecting over $216,932 illegally. The scams include holding vehicles hostage and orchestrating collusive collisions.

A tow truck often appears immediately after an accident, officials said, offering to tow the vehicle to a body shop, which then demands a large payment not covered by insurance to release the vehicle.

What we don’t know

While the investigation has uncovered significant details about the fraud ring’s operations, the full extent of the network and all individuals involved is not clear.

The investigation is ongoing, and more arrests or charges could follow as authorities continue to unravel the scheme.

CHP employee goes rogue

Timeline

The investigation began in November 2022 when it was discovered that a California Highway Patrol employee, Rosa Isela Santistevan, 56, of Irvine, was unlawfully selling traffic collision report face pages. This led to the identification of the fraud ring, which involved multiple individuals and entities across Southern California.

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.

Fraud ring operations

The backstory

The fraud ring’s activities included stealing vehicles under false pretenses and bringing them to a body shop in San Bernardino County.

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, 27, of Pomona, who the task force determined was connected to Santistevan through the organized ring’s ringleader, Andre Angelo Reyes, 37, 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,” officials said.

What to look out for

What they’re saying

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara stated, “This type of scam is preying on drivers at their most vulnerable moments—immediately after an accident—when they should be focused on their safety and next steps, not fighting to get their vehicle back.”

Authorities also issued the following red flags to be aware of:

Tow truck shows up within minutes of accident, you may not even have had time to call anyone yet.

Tow truck driver tells you which body shop your car is going to instead of working with you to identify where you want your vehicle to go.

Tow truck driver tells you someone will contact you by phone or asks you to sign documents.

Tow truck driver requests a rideshare for you.

Tips on staying safe

What you can do

Drivers are urged to verify tow trucks with their insurance company or wait for CHP verification.

Avoid signing documents until consulting with your insurance provider. For more information or to report suspected fraud, contact the California Department of Insurance at 800-927-4357 or visit insurance.ca.gov.

Further legal proceedings expected

What’s next

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case, and further legal proceedings are expected. The investigation continues, with authorities working to dismantle the fraud ring and prevent future scams.

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office has also charged Reyes and Diana Villa Pineda, 34, of Corona with tax evasion of $136,408.The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting this case.

Defendants include:

Andre Angelo Reyes, 37, of Corona

Diana Pineda Villa, 34, of Corona

Rosa Isela Santistevan, 56, of Irvine

Esmeralda Parga, 27, of Pomona

Anthony Gomez, 36, of Jurupa Valley

Antonio Terrazas Perez Jr., 20, of Los Angeles

Israel Avila Sandoval, 46, of Pomona

Luis Alberto Ramirez Jr., 32, of San Bernardino

Antonio Ramirez Perez, 45, of Los Angeles

Brian Anthony Lopez, 25, of Anaheim

Emily Marie Boatman, 27, of Ontario

Ricardo Parga Jr., 24, of Pomona

Steven Anthony Alfaro, 39, of Buena Park

Henry Castellano, 68, of Whittier

Elizabeth Gutierrez, 34, of Long Beach

Steve Allen Higgs, 72, of Corona

The Source

Information for this story is from the California Department of Insurance.

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