Agency says five people staged auto collision for $30,000 insurance payout

Five residents were arrested on suspicion of insurance fraud, accused of staging an auto collision in Ontario to receive a $30,000 insurance payout, the California Department of Insurance said

In a Jan. 24 news release, the Insurance Department said that on Sept. 6, 2021, the Ontario Police Department arrived at the intersection of Imperial and Nocta Street in Ontario, where a woman reported a hit-andrun collision.

The Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force began investigating the collision and contacted the owner of surveillance video taken near the collision.

The video shows someone leaving a white vehicle in the middle of an intersection while someone in a black vehicle crashes into the empty white vehicle before both drivers leave the scene of the collision.

The drivers of the vehicles were Roberto Macias, a 40-year-old from Chino, and Humberto Ortiz, a 32-yearold from Ontario, the Insurance Department said.

Macias was arrested on Jan. 11 and Ortiz was arrested on Jan. 23, the news release said.

Ortiz pleaded not guilty on Jan. 24 in San Bernardino County Superior Court to one felony count of insurance fraud for pay. Macias has an arraignment hearing scheduled for Feb. 27.

After the collision, Priscilla Carmona Arajo, a 29-yearold woman from Fontana, showed up claiming she was the victim of a hit-and-run, the news release said.

The Department of Insurance said witnesses saw Arajo walk over to the vehicles. Arajo was arrested on Jan. 22 by the Fontana Police Department and has an arraignment scheduled March 7.

The vehicles involved were registered to Juan Barajas, a 25-year-old of Upland, who is currently in custody at the Orange County Jail on an unrelated case, and Gabriella Cervantes, a 52-yearold of Rancho Cucamonga, who was arrested on Jan 16.