Las Vegas business owner pleads guilty to faking armed robbery for insurance

By: Jarah Wright

U.S. General Service Administration

The Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse in Las Vegas, Nev. The U.S. General Service Administration manages U.S. courthouses, federal buildings, and other facilities in Nevada.

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.