A probe into auto insurance fraud across Southern California has led to arrests of 16 people involved in an alleged scheme that preyed on car accident victims in the Inland Empire, and has prompted the California Department of Insurance to warn drivers about tow truck companies holding vehicles hostage for cash.
The investigation began in November 2022, after a CHP officer, who was assisting a victim of a “bandit tow” to locate their vehicle, contacted the Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Task Force, the CDI said in a statement.
Investigators discovered that a non-sworn employee of the California Highway Patrol, Rosa Isela Santistevan, 56, of Irvine, allegedly was selling traffic collision reports, according to the statement. Santistevan allegedly sold these reports to the ringleader, Andre Angelo Reyes, 37, of Corona.
Reyes then allegedly passed these reports, containing personal information about accident victims, to his associate Esmeralda Parga, 27, of Pomona, officials said. The task force ultimately seized more than 3,500 CHP traffic collision report face pages from Parga’s residence.
Parga would impersonate the insurance company and contact the parties involved in the collision, authorities alleged. She coordinated having their vehicle towed to a repair center that she claimed had been approved by the insurance company.
Tow truck drivers from JR Tow in Los Angeles and B&M Tow in La Verne, who allegedly participated in the scheme, would pick up vehicles in Riverside County and tow them to Certified Auto in Buena Park, owned by Anthony Gomez, 36, of Jurupa Valley. It was not immediately known if the tow trucks were from a legitimate business, or if they drivers were operating independently.
Once the vehicles arrived, Certified Auto demanded cash payment from the insurance companies in order to release the vehicles. The American Automobile Association shared multiple auto claims in which a group of companies were transporting vehicles they insured to body shops, and keeping the vehicles until a large amount of money was paid in cash.
Search warrants revealed evidence showing the ring allegedly committed other types of insurance fraud, including collusive collisions.
The ring was accused in 2024 of similar schemes in San Bernardino County, involving two California Collision locations, in Ontario and Montclair.
The task force determined that the ring illegally collected over $216,932. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office has also charged Reyes and Diana Villa Pineda, 34, of Corona with tax evasion totalling $136,408.
In order to avoid being a victim of this scam, the California Department of Insurance urged drivers to be aware of these warning signs: a tow truck showing up within minutes of accident, even before a company was called; the two truck driver telling you which body shop the car will be taken to rather than asking where you want the vehicle to go; the tow truck driver tells you someone will contact you by phone or asks you to sign documents;the two truck driver requests a rideshare for you.
Drivers who believe they may be in a situation like this to verify the tow truck with your insurance company or wait for CHP to verify the tow truck was dispatched by CHP