Updated 4:30 p.m. Thursday
After FBI officials raided Specialty Towing in San Francisco on Thursday, a tow company operator appeared in federal court, charged with insurance fraud and money laundering.
Jose Badillo was indicted on four counts, including mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering charges related to a scheme to defraud an auto insurance company, U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey announced Thursday. Jessica Najarro faces the same charges as Badillo, one of two owners of a “predatory” towing company that was barred from doing business with San Francisco for five years last month.
According to an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on July 9, the pair allegedly “conspired to defraud an insurance company by submitting a fraudulent insurance claim on a wrecked car that Badillo purchased in June 2019.”
The car was undrivable and severely damaged. Najarro obtained an insurance policy for it and, one month later, falsely reported that it had been in a single-car accident. An insurance company reimbursed her $34,037.48. The indictment alleges the money was deposited into a bank account controlled by Badillo.