Inspector Comes Clean, Pays Up

Based upon his cooperation with CDI investigators, Francis Borgia Ashley Jr., 59, was allowed to surrender himself in Fresno County Superior Court in the presence of his attorney after an arrest warrant had been issued for him.

Ashley, who was charged with 12 counts of insurance fraud, was arraigned and, as a plea agreement, simultaneously pled “no contest” to a felony count of insurance fraud and a felony count of grand theft. Sentencing was delayed for one year, during which time Ashley agreed to make full restitution.

Ashley owned and operated G&A Automotive, an automotive repair shop. Investigators received information from the Bureau of Automotive Repair, indicating that G&A had submitted claims against mechanical breakdown insurance polices for work that was never performed.

CDI’s investigation revealed that Ashley conducted initial qualifying inspections for people applying for automotive mechanical breakdown insurance. Ashley is alleged to have completed fictitious repair orders using information obtained from the inspections.

It is further alleged that he used signatures, also obtained from the inspections, to then forge claimants’ signatures on fake repair orders, which were submitted to an insurer for payment.

Ashley told investigators he submitted the fake claims in order to pay for medical bills not covered by his health insurance.

After Ashley’s court appearance, he was booked and released at Fresno County Jail and presented CDI Investigators with a cashier’s check in the amount of $8,447.78, the full restitution required as a condition of his plea agreement.