Richmond, Calif. man indicted on 113 counts of insurance fraud

A warrant has been issued for a Richmond man indicted Thursday on 113 counts of insurance fraud in a scheme that involved destroying personal property, seeking payment for property that didn’t exist and inflating the value of insurance claims, authorities said. The indictments, returned by a Contra Costa County grand jury and announced by District Attorney Mark Peterson, stem from more than 65 insurance claims submitted by Louis Houston, 49, between 2000 and 2011, Peterson said. Five other people also were indicted in the case, which also involves perjury and arson, Peterson said. Those five -- identified as Cedric Jackson, of Fresno, Jones Smith, of Richmond, Crystal Robinson and Kimberly Burdeen-Tanner, both of Pittsburg and Sadi Ziegler, of Vallejo -- have been arrested, but Houston remains at large, Peterson said. Prosecutors said that Houston claimed property losses from at least 10 separate fires, 20 incidents of theft or vandalism, eight auto collisions and six incidents of water damage during the 11-year period.