San Rafael, CA – A San Rafael couple has pled guilty in a scheme to defraud an auto insurance company in August 2020.
The Marin County District Attorney’s Office said Sandra Yohanna Tejada, 55, pled guilty to fraudulently supporting an insurance claim, a felony. Her husband, Juan Cadena Nunez, 63, pled guilty to a misdemeanor count of being an accessory after the fact related to an insurance claim for personal injury that was filed after their car was struck by a drunk driver in August 2020.
According to an investigation by the California Department of Insurance, Tejada and Cadena Nunez's vehicle was struck by a drunk driver on August 4, 2020, while parked on Woodland Avenue in San Rafael. The couple made false statements to the San Rafael Police Department at the time of the collision, saying they were in their vehicle when the collision occurred. They subsequently retained an attorney to file an insurance claim alleging that they sustained injuries during the collision.
Despite the couple’s claims, investigators located surveillance footage from a nearby business that showed that the vehicle was unoccupied at the time of the collision and that Tejada and Cadena Nunez arrived on the scene after the collision.
The couple pled guilty on Thursday, March 10, before Marin Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Howard in a negotiated disposition with prosecutors. Cadena Nunez was placed on one year of informal court probation with terms that include restitution to the insurance company for the cost of investigating the false claim as well as 10 days in the Marin County Jail. Tejada returns for sentencing April 14.
Deputy District Attorney Sean Kensinger prosecuted the case.
"Insurance fraud hurts all Marin residents by increasing insurance premiums for those who take the responsible step of insuring their vehicles as required by law,” Kensinger said. “Whether it involves staging a collision to get a vehicle repaired or faking an injury with the hope of receiving a payday from the insurance company, the Marin County District Attorney's Office will continue to partner with the California Department of Insurance to hold those engaged in auto insurance fraud criminally accountable."
Insurance fraud is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison and $50,000 in fines. Please report suspected insurance fraud directly to the Marin County District Attorney's Office via email or call the California Department of Insurance Fraud hotline at 1-800-927-4357.