Staged Accident Ring Busted, Two Dozen Indicted, Says State Attorney General

In what State Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt says is the largest multi-defendant indictment in his office's history, 24 people have been charged in a 68-count indictment with running a staged accident ring. The indictment charges the group with being involved in filing 23 fake insurance claims related to staged crashes and thefts.

Seventeen arrest warrants were issued on Friday and ten of the defendants are now in custody.

"This indictment sends a clear message of deterrence to fraudsters engaged in dangerous staged accidents in Nevada," said Laxalt. "Unlike most fraud schemes, which pose an economic danger to potential victims, the alleged conduct put the lives of those on Nevada’s roadways at risk for illicit profit.

"I am proud that investigators and prosecutors in my office are committed to protecting Nevadans by dismantling this, and similar, sophisticated criminal enterprises.”

The 42-page indictment charges the group with filing 23 fake claims - 19 for accidents and four for thefts - between September 2, 2014 and May 6, 2017. (For more information on the fatal punch case and other Las Vegas stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Most of the defendants are scheduled to make their first appearances in court on either September 21 or October 5.

THE DEFENDANTS

• Julio Caesar Gonzalez (56 counts): One count of racketeering, one count racketeering conspiracy, one count multiple transactions involving fraud or deceit in the course of an enterprise or occupation, 17 counts of battery with a deadly weapon, 18 counts of insurance fraud, four counts of theft in the amount of $3,500 or more, and 14 counts of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Leandro Fonseca (19 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count multiple transactions involving fraud or deceit in the course of an enterprise or occupation, 8 counts of insurance fraud, 4 counts of theft in the amount of $3,500 or more, and four counts of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Juan Miguel Angel Jr. Dolores (8 counts): One count of racketeering, one count racketeering conspiracy, one count multiple transactions involving fraud or deceit in the course of an enterprise or occupation, one count of battery with a deadly weapon, two counts of insurance fraud, one count of theft in the amount of $3,500 or more, and one count of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Jacob Salazar-Morales (4 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Dorian Abner Inesa (4 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Eleuterio Morales Ramirez (5 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of battery with a deadly weapon, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Carlose Alberto Viera (4 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Jose de Jesus Nunez-Badillo (7 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of multiple transactions involving fraud or deceit in the course of an enterprise or occupation, two counts of insurance fraud, and two counts of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Yoel Arrastiarojas (4 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Anthony Robles (4 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Erick Garcia-Garcia (4 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Irma Yolanda Meraz-Rangel (4 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Lian Grave de Peralta Rosales (9 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of multiple transactions involving fraud or deceit in the court of an enterprise or occupation, three counts of insurance fraud, and three counts of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Loipa Vuelta Arafet (7 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of multiple transactions involving fraud or deceit in the course of an enterprise or occupation, two counts of insurance fraud, and two counts of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Eduardo Duran Rosales (7 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of multiple transactions involving fraud or deceit in the course of an enterprise or occupation, two counts of insurance fraud, and two counts of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Jesus Nunez Aranda (4 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Eloisa Badillo Esparaza (4 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Lemay Oliver Monzon (4 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Arlene Manuela Hernandez (4 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Anilu Vianey Gonzalez (4 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Yelandis Penichet Vargas (7 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of multiple transactions involving fraud or deceit in the course of an enterprise or occupation, two counts of insurance fraud, and two counts of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Jessica Valdes Tarrio (4 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of attempted theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Edgar Betancourt Preval (4 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.
• Jose Alejandro Betancourt (4 counts): One count of racketeering, one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of insurance fraud, and one count of theft in the amount of $3,500 or more.

Photos of some of the defendants courtesy Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department