SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — A San Rafael couple pleaded guilty to felony charges in connection with an auto insurance scam.

Sandra Yohanna Tejada, 55, pleaded guilty to fraudulently supporting an insurance claim, a felony, and her husband, Juan Cadena Nunez, 63, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of being accomplice to a personal injury insurance claim that was filed after their car was hit by a drunk driver in August 2020.

Tejada and Cadena Nunez’s vehicle was struck by a drunk driver on August 4, 2020 while parked on Woodland Ave., in San Rafael, according to a California Department of Insurance investigation,

The couple made false statements to the San Rafael Police Department at the time of the collision that they were in their vehicle when the collision occurred and later hired an attorney to file an insurance claim alleging they were injured in the collision.

Despite their claims, investigators were able to locate surveillance footage from a nearby business showing that the vehicle was unoccupied at the time of the collision and that Tejada and Cadena Nunez did not arrive at the scene until after the collision.

The couple pleaded guilty Thursday before Marin Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Howard in a settlement negotiated with prosecutors.

Cadena Nunez was placed on one year of informal court probation with terms that include restitution to the insurance company for the cost of investigating the false claim as well as 10 days in the Marin County jail.

Tejada returns to be sentenced before Judge Howard on April 14, 2022.

Assistant District Attorney Sean Kensinger prosecuted the case.

“Insurance fraud harms all residents of Marin by increasing insurance premiums for those who take the responsible action of insuring their vehicles as required by law,” Kensinger said in a statement.

“Whether it’s staging a collision to get a vehicle repaired or faking an injury in the hopes of collecting pay from the insurance company, the Marin County District Attorney’s Office will continue to partner to the California Department of Insurance to hold those engaged in auto insurance fraud criminally responsible.”

Insurance fraud is a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

Anyone suspecting insurance fraud in Marin is asked to contact the County District Attorney’s Office by email at [email protected] or call the California Department of Insurance Fraud Hotline at 1800- 927-4357.