Three years after being launched, the so-called “Operation Cashout” ends with the longest sentence to an insurance fraud in the history of Santa Clara County. Vietnamese baker Khai Van Nhin was sentenced for nine years in prison plus a restitution of $127.000 to several insurance companies damaged by a complex fraud ring involving other 30 people.
As discovered by authorities, the defendants filed 31 fake car accidents during the period of 2002 to 2005 and involving about 12 cars. The cars were purchased by the scammers already damaged, while the files claimed the cars were forced off the road by other cars. The sum of all claims reached the amount of $500.000. The money was pocketed by the scammers, rather than used to fix the cars. Authorities declared that the number of cars, defendants and the fact that many of the documents were written in Vietnamese complicated the insurance case. All the other defendants were pleaded guilty with sentences ranging from simple community services to three years in jail.