Oh, Brother

Following a two-month investigation by the CDI Fraud Division, Mohammad Asif Atebar was arrested for insurance fraud.

According to investigators, the 23-year-old filed a total loss claim for his 1989 Honda Prelude, which was allegedly stolen and burned. He claimed that the vehicle was equipped with custom wheels and tires worth more than $1,000. With his claim, he provided Deerbrook Insurance with a copy of a tire dealer’s receipt. A routine check of the receipt by the insurance company revealed that the wheels and tires were purchased for a 1996 Mercury Tracer belonging to someone other than Atebar.

Investigators contacted the manager of the tire retailer and he remembered the customer (not Atebar) to whom he had originally sold the custom wheels and tires. They then contacted that customer and from the conversation, learned that he had recently sold the equipment to Atebar for $300 cash.

Investigators met with the customer and showed him a DMV photo of Atebar, but the customer informed them that the photo was not Atebar. Instead, the DMV photo was actually that of his 20-year-old brother, Mohammad Arif Atebar. The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office then filed one felony count of perjury for the DMV violation of the younger brother. As for Mohammad Asif Atebar and his false claim, Deerbrook incurred a $2,853 loss.