SANTA CLARA COUNTY – 33-year-old Ruby Naranjo Moreno of Morgan Hill and 36-year-old Jessica Delicia Castaneda of Los Banos were charged with fraud on Nov 27, 2013 in Santa Clara County for a case in which Moreno had called Farmers Insurance Exchange to report her 2009 Toyota Camry was involved in a hit-and-run accident. The charge covers the period of Jan 31 to Sept 18 of 2013. Moreno had initially tried to file a claim with Farmers about the damage to her left bumper, fender and head lamp. Moreno was denied coverage at the time because she had failed to pay her insurance premiums over a long period of time.
On Jan 31, 2013 Moreno again called Farmers Insurance Exchange to report a second possible hit and run accident reporting the same damage to the vehicle. Investigators however determined that the damage to the Camry was the same, and that Moreno was “seeking and unjustifiable claim”. Farmers Insurance Investigators determined that repairing the damage to the vehicle would have cost $1,614.81. The Office of the District Attorney’s Fraud Division was contacted on May 16, 2013 reporting the second attempt to collect as a fraudulent claim.
On Sept 18, 2013 Moreno admitted to investigators that she had made multiple claims, however that the damage had since been fixed, and that she had borrowed the money from a friend, Castaneda. She later admitted to not getting the loan from Castaneda as she had previously claimed. Moreno told investigators that she had been in three prior accidents and not two separate accidents as she had claimed.
Moreno told investigators, “technically I was supposed to have insurance and I paid for the insurance even for a time I didn’t have insurance”. When asked about the accident, Castaneda told investigators, “It’s not like I was in the vehicle or anything like that.” Castaneda said she loaned Moreno $100 dollars, but didn’t know if the car was fixed.
The next court date for the two friends is coming up in Dept. 35 at the Santa Clara County Court.
