Four Plead No Contest in Rideshare Staged Collision Insurance Fraud Case
SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Four individuals have entered no-contest pleas to felony charges related to an alleged staged collision targeting a rideshare driver in November 2024. The incident was investigated by the Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Fraud Task Force (IEAIFTF).
The collision occurred on November 23, 2024, on the I-215 in San Bernardino. Investigators determined that the suspects ordered a rideshare vehicle, and during the trip, a separate vehicle, driven by Murillo and registered to Deshawn Perater-Nickson, intentionally collided with the rideshare vehicle. The suspects allegedly intended to file bodily injury claims against the rideshare driver’s insurance for an insurance payout. The incident was initially reported to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) as a hit-and-run. The CHP reported the collision to the IEAIFTF after the rideshare driver suspected the collision was intentional.
Ledontae Pope, 30, of San Bernardino, pleaded no contest to knowingly cause or participate in a vehicle collision/Insurance Claim and Assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. Pope, arrested on January 24, 2025, received a sentence of 90 days in county jail and two years of felony probation.
Kalil Davis, 27, of Hesperia, also arrested on January 24, 2025, pleaded no contest to Insurance Fraud and Assault with a deadly weapon. Davis was sentenced to 180 days in county jail and two years of felony probation. Two of the three individuals initially charged—Pope, Davis, and Perater-Nickson—were on probation for previous convictions at the time of their arrests.
John Murillo, 37, of San Bernardino, the driver of the separate vehicle, was arrested on May 19, 2025. Murillo pleaded no contest to knowingly cause or participate in a vehicular collision/Insurance Claim. Murillo has not been sentenced, remains in custody, and agreed to two years in state prison as part of his plea agreement.
Klydale Moses, 24, of Fontana, who was not in either vehicle but identified as a co-conspirator, was arrested on May 19, 2025. Moses pleaded no contest to Insurance Fraud. Moses received a sentence of 90 days in county jail and two years of felony probation.
Deshawn Perater-Nickson, 26, of Adelanto, faces charges of insurance fraud and assault with a deadly weapon related to the collision. While in custody, he was charged with additional offenses, including false imprisonment, pimping, and pandering, stemming from evidence discovered during the IEAIFTF investigation. Perater-Nickson is scheduled to appear in court on January 26, 2026.
