LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas business owner is facing up to 20 years in prison after arranging to fake an armed robbery at his cell phone repair store in order to collect the insurance money.
According to the indictment, Erwin Lanada owned CPR Cellphone Repair (CPR) on South Jones Boulevard, which was insured through State Farm Insurance Company.
Court records state Lanada hired Marco Antonio Capistran in October 2023. Lanada then said he would pay Capistran if he agreed to helped stage a fake robbery.
"On or about October 25, 2023, defendant Lanada arranged for Capistran to conduct the fake robbery the next day just before closing time when defendant Lanada would be alone in the store," the indictment reads in part. "He also gave Capistran a silver revolver to use during the robbery and told Capistran to tie him up during the robbery."
A few minutes after Capistran ran away from the store, Lanada walked out of CPR, had a passerby remove the zip ties, and he called 911 saying he had been robbed at gunpoint and needed police, court records state.
Lanada filed claims with State Farm, which led to them sending him two checks through the mail totaling $88,611.23.
"The FBI, working alongside local law enforcement [LVMPD] successfully thwarted his scheme. His guilty plea highlights law enforcement's commitment to protecting financial systems from fraud, which directly impacts the insurance premiums for many Americans," said Christopher Delzotto, Special Agent in Charge for the FBI Las Vegas Field Office. "Insurance is a tool American families depend on to safeguard their assets and finances. That tool has become more and more expensive for every American family due to fraud and fraud's impact on skyrocketing premiums."
Court records shows Lanada has agreed to plead guilty to one count of mail fraud and is set to be sentenced on Jan. 5.
As for Capistran, federal court records show he was facing robbery and firearms charges and has also reached a plea agreement.
He has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit mail fraud charge, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
-
Police: One woman dead, another hospitalized after man shot them, then himself
Detectives determined both shootings were related. According to police, the man had recently been in a relationship with one of the victims and was currently in a relationship with the other victim.
Police say 1-year-old child sought by Nevada Amber Alert was found in Las Vegas
The 1-year-old child at the center of a recent statewide Amber Alert was found in Las Vegas, Channel 13 has learned.
'Keefe D' murder trial heads to closing arguments in Tupac Shakur's 1996 killing
The murder trial of Duane "Keefe D" Davis in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur is headed to closing arguments after the defense rested Thursday.
One dead, one critical after overnight stabbing in downtown, LVMPD investigating
LVMPD Dispatch received a 911 call reporting a man had been stabbed, and when officers arrived, they found one man on the sidewalk suffering from a stab wound, according to Lt. Robert Price.
