On a Collision Course with the Law

Investigators from the CDI Criminal Investigations Branch’s Fraud Division arrested Julian Tafolla, 20, of Riverside, on two felony counts of insurance fraud and one misdemeanor count of leaving the scene of an accident. Tafolla, who, at the time of the arrest, was on parole for a 1999 arson conviction, was booked into Riverside County Jail. The Riverside District Attorney’s Office Insurance Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case. If convicted, Tafolla could face up to five years in state prison and/or fines up to $50,000.

Investigators discovered that on Jan. 8, 2001, a car registered to Tafolla ran a red light and collided with another vehicle. After the collision, two male suspects ran from the scene. Two days later, Tafolla filed an insurance claim in which he alleged his car had been stolen on the night of Jan. 8. In written and verbal statements given to his carrier, Tafolla is alleged to have denied crashing the car himself, claiming instead that two black males had stolen the car. An investigation revealed no evidence of any forced entry on the vehicle.

Witnesses, including the driver of the vehicle that had been hit by Tafolla’s car, identified Tafolla as the driver and also confirmed that Tafolla’s car had not been stolen as alleged.