A California man faces a potential sentence of more than 25 years to life after a Kern County jury convicted him of arson and automobile insurance fraud in a scheme involving a stripped and burned Jeep Gladiator.
Daniel Montes was found guilty Aug. 31, according to the Kern County District Attorney’s Office. A day later, jurors found that Montes had two prior strike convictions and found several aggravating factors true, including that the crime involved damage of great monetary value and that he was on probation when the offense occurred.
Prosecutors said Montes drove the Jeep from the Hard Rock Casino to a rural area outside McFarland, removed its rims and set the vehicle on fire. The district attorney’s account places the offense in December 2025, although it also states that McFarland police recovered the burned Jeep on Jan. 8, 2025, an apparent date discrepancy in the information released about the case.
Investigators found the Jeep destroyed and its rims missing. The vehicle owner filed an insurance claim, but the insurer denied it based on the results of the McFarland Police Department’s investigation, according to prosecutors.
Recorded jail calls provided evidence of the alleged plan. Prosecutors said Montes told his girlfriend, who was being held in the Kern County jail, that he had been hired to take and burn the Jeep so its owner could make an insurance claim because the owner could not afford the vehicle payments.
A search of Montes’ phone after his arrest uncovered additional communications with other alleged conspirators as well as videos showing the Jeep being set on fire, the district attorney’s office said.
The case illustrates several evidence sources that can become important when adjusters investigate a suspicious vehicle fire or theft claim. The physical condition of the vehicle, removal of valuable components, police findings and evidence establishing communications among the people involved can affect whether a reported loss is consistent with the circumstances presented to an insurer. In this case, prosecutors said the police investigation led to the claim being denied.
Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said her office maintains a unit dedicated to insurance fraud investigations and urged residents to report suspected fraud.
Montes is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 1. As a third-strike offender, he faces up to 25 years to life plus an additional 11 years and four months, according to the district attorney’s office.
