North Hills Family Charged in Alleged Six-Figure Auto Insurance Fraud Scheme
Three family members were recently arraigned in connection with an alleged six-figure auto insurance fraud scheme in Los Angeles.
In a press release, the California Department of Insurance identified Shannon Ninio, Moshe Ninio, and their son-in-law, Ivan Lebedynets, as the primary suspects in an auto insurance fraud scheme in which they allegedly used stolen personal information to file false claims and fraudulently collect nearly $200,000 in payouts.
On Wednesday, January 31, Shannon Ninio was arraigned for insurance fraud, while Lebedynets was arraigned earlier this week. Moshe Ninio had already been arraigned on December 22, 2023, on 18 felony counts of insurance fraud.
According to authorities, the investigation began after a tip from an insurance company alleging that Moshe Ninio, the owner of AT Car Rental, had used identity information stolen from his customers to take out policies on his fleet of rental vehicles. Shannon Ninio was reportedly listed as a co-owner of the company, and Lebedynets was listed as their employee.
DOI investigators allege that, when the Ninios’ customers would get into actual accidents, Moshe Ninio would file claims while impersonating his victims, having falsely listed their names as policyholders. Under this ruse, he would then allegedly claim that he’d given a “friend” — the actual renter of the vehicle — permission to drive the vehicle. Shannon Ninio and Ivan Lebedynets are also accused of posing as policyholders on many of the claims.
During their investigation, authorities contacted 15 people whose names had been listed as policyholders. According to the Department of Insurance, the “majority” of these individuals stated that, while they had rented vehicles from the Ninios’ business in the past, they had never opened an insurance policy and that their names had been used without permission.
The three suspects are accused of filing a total of 47 fraudulent claims between September 2018 and July 2020. Shannon and Moshe Ninio, residents of North Hills, were arrested in December of 2023. Lebedynets, of Winnetka, turned himself in on January 29, 2024.
All three are next due in court on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
