WESTERN NEWS ZONE......

California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced the arrests of Melody Ann Mosqueda, 45, of Valley Springs, her former husband, Anthony Charles Mosqueda, 52, of Stockton and their daughter, Rachel Lee Anthony-Mosqueda, 28, of Elk Grove. The family was arrested as the result of an investigation conducted by the California Department of Insurance (CDI) into alleged insurance fraud.

Melody Ann Mosqueda, a former insurance claims adjuster, was arrested as she appeared at the San Joaquin County Superior Court in Lodi, California on an unrelated criminal matter; she is charged with 13 counts of insurance fraud, money laundering, grand theft and burglary. Rachel Lee Anthony-Mosqueda was arrested by the Elk Grove Police Department; she is charged with nine counts of insurance fraud, money laundering and grand theft. Anthony Charles Mosqueda was arrested at his residence; he faces 10 counts of insurance fraud, money laundering and grand theft.

CDI's investigation was assisted by Zurich and Fireman's' Fund insurance companies. Bail for each family member was set at $250,000. The case is being prosecuted by the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office.

CDI was alerted to the Mosqueda family's alleged scheme when workers from both Zurich and Fireman's Fund insurance companies independently discovered discrepancies in a claim Melody Ann Mosqueda had handled for their companies. Both companies conducted internal audits and discovered multiple discrepancies in multiple claims.

According to CDI detectives, Melody Ann Mosqueda perpetrated an embezzlement scheme while working for Zurich and Fireman's' Fund insurance companies as an insurance claims adjuster from 2003 to 2007 by allegedly inputting false information into legitimate insurance claims, then issuing payment for fictitious settlements and/or services.

It is further alleged that these checks were issued to and cashed by Mosqueda and her family members. The Mosqueda family also apparently created several bogus companies to which Melody Ann would then issue insurance payments and subsequently cash those checks.

CDI uncovered that Mosqueda actually had created and diverted checks totaling more than $175,000, but some check remained not cashed.

• Ventura County (Calif.) District Attorney Gregory Totten announced that Ismael Santos (DOB 11/20/84) of Thousand Oaks, pled guilty to one count of felony auto insurance fraud. Santos will be sentenced on Sept. 2, in Ventura County Superior Court. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in state prison and a $50,000 fine.
  
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• On March 12, 2009, Santos reportedly contacted the Thousand Oaks Police Department and reported his 2000 Ford Expedition stolen from a shopping center parking lot. Santos stated he had parked his vehicle in the lot and discovered it gone when he returned from shopping. On March 13, Santos contacted his insurance carrier, Access General, and filed a claim for the loss. Later that same day, Access General was notified by the National Insurance Crime Bureau that a 2000 Ford Expedition registered to Santos was impounded in Tijuana, Mexico, on March 9.
  
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• Access General referred the claim to the California Department of Insurance (CDI) for investigation. When CDI investigators questioned Santos, he repeated his story about his vehicle being stolen.
  
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• However, when investigators confronted him with the information about the vehicle being impounded, Santos admitted that he paid two men $500 to “get rid” of his vehicle because he could no longer afford the monthly payments.