Five Suspects Arrested in Calif. Auto Theft Ring

California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has announced that five suspects in the Santa Clara, Calif., region were arrested for grand theft fraud. One suspect remains at large.

Suspects Scott Bobrow, 40, and Alicia Steptoe, 38, were two of six fraudulent claimants involved in a series of fraudulent accident claims. They were arrested on Feb. 8, 2006. Two other suspects, Simon Yohannes, 35, and Darlene Halican, 41, self-surrendered on February 10. The fifth suspect, Emmanuel Woldeyohannes, 20, is currently in custody at San Quentin Prison and was served with an arrest warrant on February 10. The sixth suspect, Zarqa Yasin, 27, was not home when the arrest warrant was served and therefore remains at large.

The chain of fraudulent accident claims began on Jan. 29, 2003, and ended on Feb. 26, 2004. The main suspect, Bobrow, who worked for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., was responsible for listing the five individuals as false claimants into accident claims they were not actually involved in. In return for the claimants’ assistance, Bobrow paid each claimant from their respective claim checks — totaling $15,000, according to the commissioner’s office.

The five arrested accomplices will be charged with California Penal Code Section 484/487, Grand Theft. Bobrow was also charged with 470(a), Forgery. Bail is set at $60,000 for Bobrow and $35,000 for the other four suspects. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.

The arrests were made by the Santa Clara County Urban Auto Insurance Fraud Task Force’s investigation team. The Urban Auto Insurance Fraud Task Force is comprised of investigators from the California Department of Insurance, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and the California Highway Patrol.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Zarqa Yasin should contact the Department’s Fraud Division, San Jose Regional Office, at (408) 779-7200.