A Salinas insurance adjuster and the owners of three Salinas-based auto body shops were sentenced Tuesday on felony insurance fraud-related charges, the Monterey County District Attorney’s office announced.
Meliquiades “Micky” Garibay, 42; Ricardo “Pee Wee” Robledo, 33; Jorge “George” Torrez, 35; and Sergio San Miguel, 40, were all sentenced.
On Sept. 30, 2011, the Monterey County Criminal Grand Jury indicted the five men on various counts of automobile insurance fraud, grand theft and forgery. The indictment was a result of an in-depth investigation by the California Department of Insurance which revealed that an Allstate adjuster, Sergio San Miguel, fraudulently inflated repair estimates and improperly issued payment checks, prosecutors said. The Department of Insurance uncovered additional Salinas-based auto body shops which were linked to San Miguel in presenting and processing fraudulent insurance claims. These shops included Central Coast Auto Body, operated by David M. Ramirez, and Specialty Auto Body, operated by Garibay. It was also determined that Robledo, who worked in both shops, had also engaged in defrauding Allstate Insurance Co. Torrez, who was also engaged in the auto body business, defrauded Allstate Insurance Co., too, prosecutors said. Torrez and Robledo were also aided by San Miguel in submitting the fraudulent claims.
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All four men were sentenced by Judge Julie Culver to formal probation, 180 days in county jail with restitution ordered to be paid to both Allstate Insurance Co. and Farmer’s Insurance Co. If these men do not comply with probation they each face at least five years in prison, prosecutors said. A fifth man indicted by the Grand Jury, David Ramirez, is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 10.
California Department of Insurance Detective Keri Larsen, Sgt. Felicia Dolores and Capt. Kathleen Harris led the investigation of this case with the help of District Attorney Investigator Nelda Sanders. Additional assistance was provided by the California Highway Patrol, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
