Five Arrested In California Million-Dollar Mobile Phone Insurance Scam

Five Northern California residents were arrested by California Department of Insurance fraud investigators and booked into the Sacramento County jail and charged with multiple felony counts related to alleged insurance fraud totaling nearly $1 million, according to CDI.

Investigators allege the suspects, some of whom were employees of a major mobile phone service provider, accessed consumer account information to identify customers with high-end phones and conspired with others to file more than 1,900 fraudulent insurance claims for damaged or stolen phones.

The suspects, who live in the Sacramento area, had the replacement phones shipped to their homes and those of co-conspirators. The fraudulent claims totaled more than $900,000.

Each of the suspects was charged with one felony count of conspiracy, one felony count of grand theft, one felony count of unlawfully possessing the identification of ten or more persons and 29 felony counts of presenting a fraudulent insurance claim. Charges were filed by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office.

Suspects are scheduled for arraignment in Sacramento County court on May 17.

According to investigators, there is no indication that consumer identities or personal account information was stolen or used by suspects.

The suspects are: Louis Lovett, 29, Aleta Pinkney, 32; Antonio Miller, 24; Anthony Stanford, 24; Adi Qalivutu, 22.