VENTURA, California – District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Ricardo Vargas Castro (DOB 01/02/88), of Port Hueneme, pled guilty to felony automobile insurance fraud.
In March 2019, Castro was in an automobile accident in Oxnard. Approximately 30 minutes after the accident, Castro obtained an automobile insurance policy from Sentry Insurance Company. Castro later contacted the insurance company and claimed he was in an accident shortly after he obtained the policy.
Subsequent investigation by Sentry Insurance Company and the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Auto Insurance Fraud Unit revealed Castro fabricated the time of the accident in an attempt to obtain insurance coverage for the accident.
Castro is scheduled to be sentenced on November 2, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court. Automobile insurance fraud is punishable by up to five years in county jail.
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The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is the public prosecutor for the county’s 850,000 residents. The office employs approximately 290 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and professional support staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims.