SANTA ANA, Calif. – Three individuals were charged with committing insurance fraud after purchasing policies and making claims for an accident that occurred when all were uninsured.

Co-defendantDino Demarco, 56, Yorba Linda, was charged on Sept. 20, 2016, with seven felony counts of insurance fraud and Audra Lee Plageman, 50, Costa Mesa was charged with three felony counts of insurance fraud. Demarco and Plageman are scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on June 30, 2017, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. If convicted, Demarco faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in state prison and Plageman faces a maximum sentence of seven years and six months in state prison.

Circumstances of the Case:

• On April 14, 2015, Rodman-Demarco is accused of being involved in a traffic accident with another vehicle in the City of Costa Mesa.
• Plagemen is accused of being the driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident.
• At the time of the accident, Rodman-Demarco and Plagemen are accused of both being uninsured; Rodman-Demarco is further accused of not having a valid driver's license.
• On April 20, 2015, Rodman-Demarco, Plagemen, and Rodman's Demarco's husband, Demarco, who was not present at the time of the accident, are accused of meeting in Costa Mesa.
• All three defendants are accused of conspiring to purchase automobile insurance policies and filing false claims alleging the accident occurred after they had obtained coverage and that Demarco was the driver of one of the vehicles involved.
• Between April 16, 2016, and May 5, 2016, Demarco is accused of filing false insurance claims with Automobile Club of Southern California (AAA) and Progressive Casualty Insurance Company (Progressive).
• Demarco is accused of falsely claiming a hit and run with AAA, then changing his story with Progressive and alleging he was the driver and that the accident occurred after he had purchased the policy.
• Plageman is accused of falsely reporting to Progressive that Demarco was the other driver and that the accident occurred after she obtained coverage.
• Progressive and AAA reported the fraud to California Department of Insurance (CDI) after both new policy holders gave contradictory dates and circumstances.

Orange County District Attorney's Office Bureau of Investigation and CDI investigated this case.

Prosecutor: Deputy District Attorney Eya Garcia, Insurance Fraud Unit

Orange County District Attorney / Case #16CF2431 / June 30, 2017