LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Driving is a freedom most of us don't think about until it's gone.
For Christene Bosse, a fraudulent insurance policy and a suspended registration brought her life to a grinding halt, trapping her in a bureaucratic nightmare.
Darcy Spears breaks down what happened to Christene Bosse and shares tips to prevent it from happening to you:
Bosse can sit in her car. But for more than a year, criminals kept her from actually driving it.
"I was like, 'I'm at a dead end there,'" she said.
That's after she lost her identity — literally — in April 2025.
A call from her insurance company, Progressive, was the first sign of trouble. She learned a car she'd never seen, a 2004 Ford Expedition, was registered in her name and added to her policy.
"I was very shocked. I called them. They told me that the car had a title under me, registration," Bosse said. "I automatically called the DMV. They told me there could be a mix-up with the VIN number. I went down there, and there was no mix-up."
According to Nevada State Police, that car — driven by Jared Everly — ran a red light at Smoke Ranch Road and Decatur Boulevard. Police say it crossed the center line and hit three cars, then a fourth, while trying to get away from the scene.
It all came crashing down on Bosse.
"So, when the individual got into a car accident, there was no insurance on that car, because it was fraudulent," Bosse explained. "Due to the fact that it was fraudulent, they ended up suspending my registration of my vehicle."
DARCY SPEARS: So, you couldn't drive your own car.
CHRISTENE BOSSE: No. I feel like a criminal. I've been treated like one.
Forced to rely on rideshare and her husband, Bosse estimates she's spent more than $4,000 just getting to work.
We took her case to DMV Compliance and Enforcement Chief J.D. Decker.
"How does that happen to somebody, that someone you don't know — a thief, a fraudster — can register a car in your name?" I asked.
"So, the department doesn't have a lot of forms that require notary signatures," Decker said.
Decker tells me requiring notarization for most forms would be too burdensome, but he admits there's a risk.
"There are loopholes in which certain forms can be forged and submitted to add people to titles or registrations that aren't legitimate, and that looks like that's what happened to this consumer," Decker said.
However, the problems didn't stop there. The Expedition shouldn't have been on the road at all.
"It was a salvaged, non-repairable vehicle, so it shouldn't have been able to have been sold for the purposes of being on the road or being insured or being registered, anyway," Decker said. "We're not sure why the insurance company issued a policy to the fraud perpetrators, but that might have been based on the fact that it was issued a registration by the department. So, we're not exactly sure how that happened, either."
Decker says the DMV is now examining its system.
We asked Progressive how this happened. They said they don't comment on individual policies, but "remain committed to assisting" Bosse.
Meanwhile, the DMV says the documents used to register the car were forged.
"The victim's signature was forged. The purchase document from the auction hose was also forged, which makes the fraud perpetrators criminals and subject to prosecution," Decker said. "That's why everybody's looking for them."
They don't have to look far. DMV records list Everly and Jessica Sawyer on the title, with an address in Pahrump. The couple has a lengthy criminal history, with past charges including attempted robbery, attempted grand larceny, drug possession, stolen vehicle, DUI, stolen credit and debit cards, and attempted theft.
After our involvement, Bosse received some good news. The district attorney is moving forward with criminal charges.
"I want them to be locked up for what they've done, and I just don't want them to hurt other people out there like me," Bosse said.
So, how can you protect yourself?
"You can go onto your MyDMV account anytime you want, and it will list all of the vehicles that you have currently registered to you or titled to you, and then all of your previous ones," Decker said. "I recommend checking that every now and then to make sure."
The DMV also recommends basics like changing passwords and never giving personal information over the phone.
Bosse believes her information was stolen in a data breach. If that happens to you, officials suggest signing up for free credit monitoring services.