A Riverside, Calif., man was arrested and booked into Riverside County Jail on a pair of felony counts of insurance fraud and one misdemeanor count of leaving the scene of an accident.
Investigators from the California Department of Insurance (CDI) Criminal Investigations Branch’s Fraud Division arrested Julian Tafolla, 20. If convicted, he could face up to five years in state prison and/or fines up to $50,000.
A CDI investigation alleges that on Jan. 8, a car registered to Tafolla ran a red light and collided with another vehicle. After the collision, two male suspects fled from the scene. Two days later, Tafolla allegedly filed a claim with his insurance company, stating his car had been stolen the night of the accident. Tafolla offered written and verbal statements to his insurance carrier saying he didn’t crash the car himself and alleging that a pair of black males had stolen the car. A follow-up investigation showed no evidence that the vehicle had been forcibly entered.
The driver of the vehicle allegedly hit by Tafolla stated to investigators that Tafolla was the man who hit him, while other witnesses also tabbed Tafolla as the driver of the car. The witnesses also confirmed that Tafolla’s car was not stolen as was alleged.
Currently, Tafolla is on parole for an arson conviction from 1999.
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