Житель Керн-каунти приговорен к 25 годам тюрьмы за поджог джипа и мошенничество со страховкой

Kern County man convicted of arson, auto insurance fraud; faces 25 years to life BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A Kern County man faces over 25 years to life after being convicted of arson and auto insurance fraud for stripping and burning a Jeep near McFarland in December 2025. The Kern County District Attorney’s Office said on August 31, 2026, a Kern County jury found Daniel Montes guilty of arson and automobile insurance fraud. According to the DA’s office, on September 1, 2026, the jury found true that Montes had two prior strike convictions. The jury also found true the following aggravating factors: the crime involved damage of great monetary value, Montes’s prior convictions were numerous and of increasing seriousness, he had served a prior term in prison, he was on probation when this crime was committed, and that his prior performance under supervision was unsatisfactory. The DA’s office said in December 2025, Montes drove a Jeep Gladiator from the Hard Rock Casino to a rural area outside of McFarland to remove the rims and set the car on fire. The crime was discovered when Montes made calls to his girlfriend, who was an inmate at the Kern County jail, telling her that he had a job that would pay him enough to bail her out of jail. According to the DA’s office, during the jail calls, Montes explained to his girlfriend that he was hired to take the car and burn it so the owner could make an insurance claim on the car because the owner could not afford the payments on the Jeep. After Montes was arrested, his phone was searched, revealing not only further conversations with other conspirators about the plan to take the car, but also videos of the Jeep being set on fire, according to the DA’s office. On January 8, 2025, the McFarland Police Department recovered the burned vehicle. When officers arrived, they found the Jeep destroyed and the rims stripped off. An insurance claim was filed by the owner of the vehicle, but it was quickly denied due to the results of the McFarland Police Department’s investigation. District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer commented on the conviction, saying, “The District Attorney’s Office has a dedicated unit focused on combating the various types of insurance fraud that occur in our community. Submitting false insurance claims is a serious crime, and as insurance fraud increases, so do insurance premiums for everyone else. If you see something that appears suspicious or fraudulent, I urge the community to report it.” Montes’ sentencing is set for October 1, 2026, where he faces up to 25 years to life, plus 11 years and 4 months. He is also a third strike offender. If you suspect or have reason to believe Auto Insurance Fraud is occurring in Kern County, please call the District Attorney’s Office Fraud Hotline at 1-800-619-3039 or email [email protected].