Lawyer Sentenced for Auto-Insurance Fraud

A Sherman Oaks lawyer was sentenced Tuesday to three years and four months in state prison for being a key player in a traffic-accident fraud ring that bilked insurance companies of more than $100,000.

Michael P. Bota, 63, was convicted by Superior Court Judge Bernard J. Kamins in a non-jury trial in June of 11 felony counts of insurance fraud, one count of attempted insurance fraud, eight counts of grand theft and three counts of attempted grand theft. Bota was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Albert MacKenzie.

Bota was believed to be connected to 54 staged accidents from 1982 to 1985.

The ring members staged the accidents throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties, targeting late-model cars with only one driver, usually a woman, MacKenzie said.

The accidents would occur when ring members would stop suddenly in front of an unsuspecting motorist, causing a rear-end collision, MacKenzie said.

The ring members would show false California driver’s licenses and claim they were unhurt. Later, they would file insurance claims for vehicle damages and alleged injuries suffered in the accident.

Bota, as the lawyer representing the ring members, obtained fraudulent medical reports and bills and submitted the claims to insurance companies, MacKenzie said.

A Long Beach man suspected of being a member of the ring, Larry D. Hill, 34, is being sought in the case. Others believed to be involved, including a Los Angeles doctor, are under investigation, the prosecutor said.

“It’s a very sophisticated operation,” MacKenzie said. “We believe that, basically, this is a major criminal enterprise in the Southern California area.”