Yucaipa Couple Sentenced for Insurance Fraud, Child Abuse, and Assault with a Deadly Weapon
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Yucaipa, California – Christopher Phelps, 40, and his wife, Kimberly Phelps, 40, received their sentences this week after pleading no contest to multiple felony charges, including insurance fraud, child abuse, and assault with a deadly weapon. The sentencing follows an investigation by the Department of Insurance, which revealed that the couple orchestrated collisions in an elaborate scheme to fraudulently obtain insurance payouts.
Christopher Phelps has been sentenced to three years in state prison and is currently in the custody of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. In addition, his driver’s license was immediately revoked due to the assault with a deadly weapon charge. Kimberly Phelps, on the other hand, has been sentenced to 90 days in weekend county jail/work release, three years of supervised probation, and is required to attend a 52-week child abuse prevention program. She is currently out on bail. The couple is scheduled to appear in court on July 7, 2023, for a restitution hearing.
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara condemned the couple’s actions, stating, “This couple put innocent lives, including their own child’s, at risk by intentionally causing collisions to receive insurance money. Our insurance investigators are committed to doing everything in their power to keep California drivers safe. Thanks to the hard work of our investigators and the prosecutors at the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, these bad drivers are off the road, and their victims will get the justice they deserve.”
The investigation by the Department of Insurance began after the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department discovered a YouTube channel that featured dashcam videos of traffic collisions and road rage incidents. Further investigation linked the channel, under the name “BLU3 GHO57,” to Christopher Phelps. The channel contained approximately 162 videos depicting vehicle collisions, near-collisions, road rage incidents, and other content involving the couple. Shockingly, several of the incidents occurred with Christopher Phelps’ child in the vehicle.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson emphasized the danger posed by the couple’s reckless and fraudulent behavior, stating, “The reckless and fraudulent behavior of the co-defendants posed a danger to society while risking the safety of their own child. Our office is confident that in addition to defendant Phelps’s prison term and ordered restitution to all victims, public safety in San Bernardino County will be greatly increased by his lifetime revocation of driving privileges.”
During the investigation, approximately 23 collisions featured in the YouTube videos were linked to 17 insurance claims filed by Christopher Phelps. Additionally, the videos documented 42 incidents of road rage and attempted collisions involving him. Some of the videos appeared to show deliberate acts. The Department’s extensive investigation involved the execution of multiple search warrants, thorough review of hours of video footage, and efforts to identify additional victims through videos posted on the Department’s social media accounts.
Prior to their arrest in March, the Department received a report from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office regarding a suspicious collision involving Christopher Phelps. The collision occurred when Phelps abruptly stopped his vehicle, causing a truck pulling a trailer to collide with the rear of his car. Shortly after the incident, Phelps posted a rear-facing dashcam video on YouTube, capturing the moments leading up to the collision. Department detectives responded to the area of the collision in Yucaipa, conducting a thorough investigation that involved reviewing surveillance videos and interviewing witnesses. This investigation ultimately led to the couple’s subsequent arrest.
