‘Road rage doesn’t pay’: San Jose driver sentenced for insurance fraud after crash caught on dashcam
News: 2026 Press Release
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Kenneth Pham Tran, 54, of San Jose, was sentenced today after dashcam footage showed him initiating a road rage incident, which resulted in him being rear-ended by a semi-truck. Tran attempted to hide his wrongdoing and profit from the accident he caused by filing a fraudulent insurance claim to collect an undeserved payout. Tran was sentenced to 60 days in county jail, two years of probation, and is ordered to pay over $4,000 in restitution.
“Road rage doesn’t pay,” said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. “Crimes like these jeopardize public safety and increase insurance cost for consumers and businesses. I applaud the work of our detectives and investigators which is essential in protecting California drivers and holding offenders accountable.”
“Road rage. Reckless driving. Insurance fraud. This person made a lot of bad decisions,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “Count to 10 before you commit fraud in Santa Clara County.”
The Department of Insurance urges drivers who believe they may have been victims of a road rage incident to insist on a police report and document as much information about the collision as possible including using a cell phone to take photos or videos of the post-collision damage. If a dashcam was being used, save any footage of the incident and be sure to ask the peace officer at the scene to positively identify everyone involved. All suspicious collisions should be reported to your local law enforcement agency or to the California Department of Insurance by calling 800-927-4357 or visiting our website at insurance.ca.gov.
The Task Force opened an investigation after receiving a referral from San Jose CHP who first investigated the collision and reported the incident on January 28, 2025. The initial investigation found Tran had filed a claim with his insurance company alleging the back of his white Jeep Wrangler Rubicon was damaged after being rear-ended by a semi-truck while he was stopped in traffic. In his claim he also stated the driver of the semi-truck refused to pull over and exchange insurance information.
During the investigation, Task Force members discovered an independent witness who placed a separate 911 call reporting they had to swerve out of the way of a white Jeep Wrangler Rubicon that was driving recklessly and “break checking” a semi-truck on the 101 freeway in San Jose. According to the witness, the driver of the Jeep, Tran, began swerving in and out of lanes to keep the semi-truck behind his vehicle. Tran held the brakes several times before the semi-truck struck the back of his vehicle. The witness stated it looked as though the semi-truck would not have been able to prevent the collision.
The entire road rage incident was captured on the semi-truck’s dashcam. Investigators were able to obtain the footage and found evidence that Tran had initiated the crash because he felt he had been cut off by the semi-truck. The footage also corroborated the account of the witness who called 911.
Tran was found guilty by a jury on one count of felony insurance fraud, one count of felony vandalism, and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving. This case was prosecuted by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
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Media note:
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.
