Murrieta Couple Arrested on Fraud Charges

A Murrieta couple who allegedly made false insurance claims that their car was stolen were behind bars as of Sunday.

Reginald Ross, 41, and Florence Peni, 33, were arrested at a Murrieta residence Sunday on a warrant put out by the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office. Murrieta Police assisted San Bernardino County in their arrests.

According to San Bernardino County Senior Investigator Ed Nyberg, Peni reported her car stolen on June 19, 2010, to the Rialto Police Department.

"She advised them that she was visiting her boyfriend, Reginald Ross, at an apartment complex in Rialto and left her keys in the vehicle," Nyberg said in a news release.

"She advised the police and her insurance company she lived alone in Riverside. However, several days prior to the reported theft, she and her boyfriend had moved to Murrieta. They both made false and conflicting statements to her insurance company regarding the theft of the vehicle," Nyberg said.

When Peni's stolen vehicle was located at their residence in Murrieta on August 7, 2010, she withdrew her claim, Nyberg added.

Warrant for their arrests were issued April 5, according to Nyberg. The warrants were obtained by Auto Insurance Fraud Investigators of the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office, Auto Insurance Fraud Unit who contacted the Murrieta Police Department and advised them of the warrants, requesting their assistance.

Peni was arrested on suspicion of insurance fraud and perjury. Ross was arrested on suspicion of insurance fraud and acting as an accessory to a crime.

Peni and Ross were booked at Southwest Detention Center where bail was set at $100,000 for Peni and $75,000 for Ross, Nyberg said.