California Commissioner Announces Arrest in Felony Insurance Fraud

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced Olav A. Flores, 35, of Cedar Glen, surrendered himself to San Bernardino Superior Court after learning an arrest warrant was issued charging him with one count of insurance fraud for falsely claiming that his house was damaged due to the fires. A subsequent investigation revealed that the house had not been damaged.

“Insurance fraud like this hurts honest consumers and overall, and it costs every man, woman and child in California $500 a year,” said Poizner.

Flores submitted a homeowner’s property claim for smoke damage to the interior of his home in Cedar Glen. Flores made statements to Farmers Insurance stating that he had been forced to evacuate his home and that he had a crew of workers remove damaged drywall from the interior of his property. He further stated that the drywall and floor had been replaced. An investigation by Farmers’ Insurance Special Investigations Unit revealed there was no smoke damage to the property and the drywall and floor was not even in place prior to the alleged date of loss.

Farmers’ investigation further revealed that the home in Cedar Glen, although owned by Flores, was rented to another couple. The home was in the process of being remodeled but was still occupied. The tenants lived there during and after the fires of October 2007.

Additionally, according to statements obtained from witnesses, no smoke damage occurred in the residence and no drywall was replaced as indicated by Flores. Flores told Farmers’ the dates he had a work crew in the home to remove the drywall, yet these dates were the same time as mandatory evacuations of the area. As a result of this claim, Flores could have received approximately $12,000 to $15,000 to pay for the replacement of drywall in his home had Farmers Insurance Exchange not discovered the alleged fraud.

Following a criminal investigation by detectives from the Inland Empire Regional Office of the Department of Insurance’s Fraud Division, the San Bernardino District Attorney’s Office filed one felony count of insurance fraud against Flores. Flores surrendered himself to court and will be arraigned in San Bernardino Superior Court.

If convicted, Flores faces imprisonment for up to five years in state prison and up to a $50,000 fine.

Source: California Department of Insurance.