Three people have been arrested in connection with a scheme to defraud insurance companies of tens of thousands of dollars by filing false claims for bodily injury, car crashes, and property damage resulting from the 2019 Saddle Ridge Fire in the San Fernando Valley, officials announced last week.
The Saddle Ridge Fire, which burned nearly 9,000 acres in the Sylmar area over the course of 21 days, became the backdrop for fraudulent activity led by Pedram Sharokhi, a 43-year-old resident of Porter Ranch, his wife Shabnam Rahbar Vafaee, 37, and their associate Jimmy Swinder, 40, a resident of Reseda. The trio now faces charges of insurance fraud, grand theft, identity theft, forgery, money laundering, and the unlawful practice of law, according to a press release from the California Department of Insurance.
Investigators revealed that Sharokhi, who is not a licensed attorney in California, misrepresented himself as a practicing attorney. He acted on behalf of actual licensed attorneys without their knowledge, handling legal matters and advertising himself as a legal professional through business cards and office signage.
Officials also confirmed that neither Vafaee nor Swinder were licensed attorneys. In fact, Swinder’s law license had been suspended in August 2019. Despite this, the trio worked together using various legal entities to submit fraudulent insurance claims. The falsified documents included medical reports, invoices, smoke cleaning estimates, and demand packages to support their fraudulent claims.
In total, Sharokhi and his associates collected more than $75,000 in fraudulent payouts, which they deposited into accounts accessible to Sharokhi.
“To carry out their scheme, Sharokhi and his associates hired licensed attorneys who believed they were only making court appearances or drafting documents for legitimate cases,” officials said. These hired attorneys were unaware that their identities were being used to negotiate and settle fraudulent claims without their consent.
The trio was arrested on October 10, and the case is now being prosecuted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
