Two California auto repair shop managers were charged with 56 counts of presenting fraudulent claims and five counts of grand theft by false pretenses after they charged many of their customers for the repair of damage they claimed was caused by rodents.
Bita Imani, the owner of Redwood-city auto repair shop Group Specialists, and Mehran Baranriz, the shop's general manager, are accused of billing insurance companies for repairs that they never made.
From January 2003 to March 2007, Imani and Baranriz billed 25 insurance companies related to 236 insurance claims for auto repair work that was not performed. Customers and insurance companies were told that repairs were necessary due to either rodent damage or water damage, thereby triggering comprehensive coverage under auto insurance policies. The investigation revealed that the rodent and water damage were staged and that the parts billed to insurance companies were not replaced and repairs were not done. The total amount of insurance fraud exceeds $1.2 million.
In addition to the theft and insurance fraud charges, Imani is charged with four counts of tax fraud and Baranriz is charged with two counts of perjury. On June 26, 2008, both were arrested and booked in the San Mateo County Jail.
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