Fausto’s Bail Bonds owner arrested, accused of fugitive look-a-like scheme

The owner of a prominent Riverside County bail bonds company was arrested Friday after a state Department of Insurance investigation concluded that Fausto Atilano submitted photographs of look-alikes posing as fugitives in order to receive refunds on bail money that his company had forfeited.

Atilano, 60, of Temecula, owner of Fausto’s Bail Bonds, was charged with nine counts of perjury and five counts of preparing a false record, Superior Court records show. He was being held in lieu of $529,000 bail — the amount that the Department of Insurance said Atilano stole.

Judge Jerry Yang approved the District Attorney’s Office’s request to prevent Atilano from posting bail until a hearing could be held to determine whether Atilano could do so without tapping into what authorities contend is stolen money. Atilano is due in court on July 17.

Atilano has not made a court appearance. The court records do not list an attorney who could speak on Atilano’s behalf.

The Department of Insurance said it received information that Atilano told Riverside County courts that he had found fugitives in Mexico.

“However, multiple county defendants were interviewed and claimed they were never located in Mexico,” a news release said. “The investigation determined Atilano used cooperating local officials in Mexico and look-alike subjects to pose for photographs and complete fraudulent documentation certifying a fugitive had been located in Mexico. As a result of Atilano’s scheme, the bonds were exonerated by the courts and Atilano was no longer responsible for paying the bonds.”

Atilano has been in trouble before, and his license to work as a bail bondsman was restricted from October 2017 to July 2021, the Department of Insurance said.

Atilano and one of his bounty hunters faced criminal charges about 10 years ago in connection with two incidents in which they entered Temecula homes in an unsuccessful search for a client who had skipped bail. Charges included assault with a firearm and forcible entry causing damage. Both men were eventually convicted of trespassing; Atilano’s conviction was dismissed in 2019, court records show.