Coachella Valley Crime Ring Busted For Auto Insurance Fraud

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office has released information about a large automotive insurance fraud scheme that reportedly led to a loss of more than a half million dollars. Seven people were arrested for the alleged violations on Tuesday but arrest warrants have been issued for 40 defendants, according to DA Mike Hestrin’s release. The 36 criminal complaints include more than 200 felony counts for crimes committed at seven auto body shops across the Coachella Valley, authorities said. The scheme involved staging up to 40 false insurance claims from which payouts totaled $560,492 from 10 different insurance companies.