Insurance fraud seems to be a family affair for some Californians. Four members of an extended family have been arrested for allegedly falsifying more than $1.4 million in insurance claims, reports California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner.
California Department of Insurance (CDI) detectives took Michael R. Persky, 42, and his girlfriend, Shelley L. Dunkel, 39, both of Malibu, as well as Dunkel's mother, Carol A. Dunkel, 64, of Simi Valley into custody at CDI's Valencia Regional Office. An associate, Fredy Buraye, Jr., 33, of Simi Valley was arrested at his residence.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is prosecuting this case, which involves multiple felony counts of insurance fraud and grand theft. If convicted, the four could be sentenced 3 to 5 years in state prison, fined a maximum of $50,000, and ordered to pay restitution to their insurance carriers.
A suspicious March, 2008 claim involving the alleged theft of Persky's motor home sparked the year-long investigation. After his insurance carrier, National Interstate Insurance Co., settled the claim for approximately $80,000, CDI received information indicating that Persky was, in fact, in possession of the motor home. Following a search warrant executed in February 2009, CDI detectives seized the vehicle at a Simi Valley business owned by Persky.
During the course of the investigation into the alleged theft of the motor home, detectives uncovered several other suspected fraudulent claims involving the Dunkels and Buraye. Three such separate claims involved the supposed theft of personal property including furniture, bath fixtures and artwork, purportedly individually owned by Shelley Dunkel, Carol Dunkel, and Buraye.
In a claim made to Stonington Insurance Co., Buraye said that his property was stolen from an Antelope Valley storage facility owned by Shelley Dunkel, on August 22, 2007. He was eventually paid approximately $150,000 for the claim.
Shelley Dunkel and Carol Dunkel made claims to State Farm Insurance Co. and Farmers Insurance Co., respectively, for an alleged October 26, 2008, burglary at a Lancaster home owned by Carol Dunkel. Both claimed approximately $600,000 worth of personal property was stolen. CDI's investigation into these three claims turned up documentation suggesting that each individual claimed exactly the same items as being stolen. However, several of the allegedly stolen items for which all three claims were made were observed at Persky's Simi Valley residence during the aforementioned February 2009 search warrant.
National Interstate Insurance Co., Stonington Insurance Co., State Farm Insurance Co., and Farmers Insurance Co. assisted CDI in this investigation.
Bail has been set in the following amounts: Persky ($300,000); Buraye, Jr. ($225,000); Shelley Dunkel ($225,000); and Carol Dunkel ($25,000).
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