Stockton Driver Arraigned on 54 Felony Counts of Insurance Fraud and Assault with a Deadly Weapon

Insurance Fraud Investigation Discovered YouTube Videos of Alleged Staged Collisions 

STOCKTON, Calif. — Eliu Canales, 43, was arraigned today on 54 felony counts of insurance fraud, assault with a deadly weapon and reckless driving after a joint investigation by the California Department of Insurance and San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office found he allegedly staged collisions with unsuspecting drivers in order to collect over $35,000 in payouts from insurance companies. 

The joint investigation revealed that between 2017 and 2022 Canales, while working for AAA as a lead tow truck driver who taught defensive driving, orchestrated approximately 22 vehicle collisions with unsuspecting drivers. In order to cause these collisions, Canales would hide in the blind spots of other drivers and as those drivers attempted to change lanes, Canales would accelerate and sometimes turn into the other vehicles. 

Read the entire press release.  California Department of Insurance, March 22, 2023 

NICB assisted the investigation.