Nineteen California auto repair shops were busted by the Department of Insurance last week for allegedly providing fraudulent written repair estimates for vehicles that had no visible damage, according to the Associated Press.
Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi said several arrests were made resulting from the six-week investigation, in which an undercover officer visited a total of 51 shops in the San Francisco area. Nineteen of those shops supplied the officer with fake estimates ranging from $3,500 to $4,700.
In all, 20 people were arrested and will each be charged with one felony count. If convicted, the suspects could face two to five years in state prison and a fine of $50,000.
Topics Auto
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Meta Loses Insurance for Defense in Major Social Media Addiction Litigation 
3 Big Questions Facing FEMA With Kristi Noem Out 
Property, Auto Insurance Shopping Up as Consumers Feel Economic Pressures 
Study: AI May Be Tempering Insurer Hiring 
