Fresno Man Surrenders to CDI on 12 Counts

A Fresno man has surrendered himself for arrest to California Department of Insurance (CDI) Fraud Investigators.

Francis Borgia Ashley Jr., 59, surrendered to CDI Investigators after an arrest warrant had been issued for him. He was charged with 12 counts of insurance fraud. Based upon Ashley’s cooperation with CDI investigators, he was allowed to surrender in court in the presence of his attorney.

According to investigators, Ashley owned and operated an automotive repair shop named G&A Automotive. CDI Fraud Investigators received information from the Bureau of Automotive Repair, indicating that G&A had submitted claims against mechanical breakdown insurance polices for work that was never performed.

CDI’s investigation revealed that Ashley conducted initial qualifying inspections for people applying for automotive mechanical breakdown insurance. Sometime after the inspections, Ashley then allegedly completed fictitious repair orders using information obtained from the inspections. Using signatures also obtained from the inspections, Ashley then forged the claimants’ signature on the fake repair orders and submitted them for payment to the insurance company. Ashley told investigators he submitted the fake claims in order to pay for medical bills not covered by his health insurance.

Ashley surrendered in Fresno County Superior Court, Department 30, where he was arraigned and simultaneously pled “no contest” to the charges. As a plea agreement, Ashley pled “no contest” to a felony count of insurance fraud and a felony count of grand theft.

Sentencing was delayed for one year during which time Ashley agreed to make full restitution. After his court appearance, he was booked and released at Fresno County Jail and presented CDI Investigators with a cashier’s check in the amount of $8,447.78. That amount is the full restitution required as a condition of his plea agreement.