In the early hours of March 6, 2008,  Los Angeles police officers raided homes in a wide region of South California with arrest warrants for 40 people who are alleged to be involved in one of the state’s largest and most persistent auto insurance fraud operations.  Investigators say that Curtis Connor, who already has served several years in prison for a previous conviction on auto insurance fraud, is leading the scam, along with several of his sons, daughters and grandchildren. 

Detectives in the Los Angeles Police Department’s Commercial Crimes Division have traced auto accident claims and insurance payouts and have determined that dozens of accidents have been fabricated since 2000, resulting in more than $512,000 being stolen from 10 insurance companies. The Connor operation stole nearly $137,000 from State Farm Insurance through one claim involving faked injuries and car damage, officials say.  Insurance industry investigators estimate that the fraud ring has stolen several million dollars during more than two decades of scams.  According to the Insurance Information Institute, fraud associated with property/casualty coverage across the U.S. amounts to approximately $30 billion each year.

Family Members Held in Insurance Scam (Los Angeles Times 3/7/08)

March 17, 2008