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San Diegan charged for alleged insurance fraud after hit-and-run

News: 2020 Press Release

For Release: March 4, 2020
Media Calls Only: 916-492-3566
Email Inquiries: cdipress@insurance.ca.gov

San Diegan charged for alleged insurance fraud after hit-and-run

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Prosecutors have charged Roberto Garcia, 30, with insurance fraud, accusing him of falsifying vehicle reports after a hit-and-run collision. Garcia will be arraigned tomorrow, March 5, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. in San Diego Superior Court Department 101.

On March 3, 2019, Garcia filed a stolen vehicle report with the Chula Vista Police Department and reported his vehicle stolen to his insurance company. Garcia claimed that his vehicle was stolen after he dropped his keys while out at a bar in Chula Vista the night before.

The Department of Insurance launched an investigation after receiving a referral from the California Highway Patrol in San Diego who reported Garcia had been involved in a hit-and-run collision.

The investigation found that in the early morning hours of March 3, 2019, the same day Garcia reported his vehicle stolen, he and his girlfriend, Alejandra Cardenas, were driving on a San Diego freeway when they hit another vehicle, causing minor injuries to a child, and fled the scene. CHP identified Cardenas as the driver and Garcia as a passenger at the time of the accident. In an attempt to cover-up the hit-and-run collision, Garcia falsely reported his vehicle stolen to the Chula Vista Police Department and to his insurer in an alleged attempt to receive an undeserved $10,000 payout from his insurer.

Cardenas was subsequently charged with a felony hit-and-run. The investigation was conducted by the San Diego County Organized Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force which includes investigators from the Department of Insurance, the San Diego District Attorney’s Office and California Highway Patrol. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.



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.

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