The owner of a Phoenix auto body shop and another man have been arrested on suspicion of staging car accidents , then collecting on fraudulent insurance claims.
Steve Clutter of the Arizona Department of Insurance said 33-year-old Guillermo ‘Willie’ Altamirano, was a key player in an organized crime syndicate that collected at least $200,000 on fraudulent claims.
“The vehicles that they acquired, they’re not paying a lot for, they’re essentially getting them off lots where vehicles are damaged and they’ll change the titles around, fix ‘em up a little bit maybe and then smash ‘em up again," Clutter said.
Clutter said the group used forged driver’s licenses from Mexico and Guatemala, along with disposable cell phone and prepaid credit cards to buy auto insurance under fictitious names.