Southern California man arraigned for auto insurance fraud after Rolls Royce and Maserati accidents
News: 2021 Press Release
ORANGE, Calif. — Piyaresth Tangchaidee, also known as Peter Tang, 33, of Chino, was arraigned on two felony counts of insurance fraud after allegedly renting out his luxury vehicles and making fraudulent statements after the cars were involved in collisions in order to receive undeserved insurance payouts. Tangchaidee was not licensed or insured to rent vehicles, which he advertised on social media under the name “Gold Life Cars.”
The Department of Insurance launched an investigation after Tangchaidee’s auto insurance company suspected fraud following a collision involving his 2011 Maserati Gran Turismo. The investigation revealed Tangchaidee filed three suspected fraudulent claims involving his 2015 Maserati, 2011 Maserati and 2012 Rolls Royce. Tangchaidee rented out the luxury cars and later misrepresented the facts after the collisions because his insurance policies excluded rentals and the claims would have been denied. His alleged fraud resulted in a potential loss of over $100,000 to his insurance company. The accidents occurred in Orange and Los Angeles counties.
In June 2016, Tangchaidee’s 2015 Maserati was destroyed in a single vehicle collision when the driver collided with a raised center median. Tangchaidee filed a claim with his insurance company stating his friend was driving the car when the collision occurred. His insurance company deemed the 2015 Maserati a total loss and paid $53,787 to the lienholder.
In March 2017, Tangchaidee’s 2011 Maserati was destroyed when the driver who rented the car collided with two vehicles at a stopped red light. In April 2017, Tangchaidee claimed he damaged his 2012 Rolls Royce in a single-vehicle collision, but a witness refuted Tangchaidee’s claim.
After each of the three collisions, Tangchaidee filed claims with his auto insurance company and made questionable statements about who was driving the vehicles and how the collisions occurred. Detectives collected evidence showing Tangchaidee rented each of the three vehicles and obtained social media posts with photos of the vehicles.
Tangchaidee was arraigned on Friday, March 26, 2021. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting this case.
Media note:
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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.
