Former Calif. Agent, Employee Nabbed in Scam

A former California insurance agent and her employee were arrested for allegedly stealing and not remitting premiums to insurance companies of more than $3,000 from victims purchasing automobile insurance policies.

Yvette Roberta Lopez, 37, of Camarillo, was arrested after surrendering at the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. Antonio “Tony” Briones, 31, of Oxnard, was arrested by the Oxnard Police Department. Lopez and Briones were each charged with two felony counts of insurance fraud.

Lopez operated “Yvette R. Lopez Insurance Services” in Ventura County with offices in Santa Paula and Oxnard. Lopez and Briones allegedly failed to remit automobile insurance premium payments to insurance companies. Victims were allegedly given insurance identification cards that were not authorized by the insurance companies. Victims discovered they were not insured when they failed to receive insurance documents, and in one case, a victim was involved in a traffic collision and was notified by DMV that they did not have valid insurance.

The CDI Investigation Division worked with the assistance of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Fraud Division. Both subjects were arrested and booked into the Ventura County Main Jail with bail set at $25,000. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.