Accused of Filing Bogus Claims : 6 Arrested in Accident Fraud Scheme

Six people, five of whom live or work in the San Fernando Valley, were arrested Tuesday on charges they staged an automobile accident scheme to defraud an insurance company by filing $41,000 in false claims.

The arrests were made after an 8-month investigation in which an undercover officer posed as an accomplice in the scheme, said Ronald Warthen, an investigator in the fraud bureau in the Los Angeles office of the state Department of Insurance.

Arrested on charges of insurance fraud, conspiracy and attempted grand theft were chiropractor Mike Galperin, 33, a resident of Los Angeles whose practice is in the 14000 block of Victory Boulevard in Van Nuys; his wife, Tatyana, 30; Edward Chernyak, 49, of Northridge; Gregory Galynsky, 37, and his wife Simona, 35, both of Northridge, and Igor Greenberg, 34, of Los Angeles.

The investigation began in February after an informant agreed to introduce an undercover officer to Chernyak, owner of AGV Body Shop in the 1600 block of West 8th Street in Los Angeles, Warthen said.

Chernyak invited the officer to pose as the driver of a car in a phony hit-and-run accident, Warthen said. Chernyak said he had an already damaged car and two individuals, Simona and Gregory Galynsky, who would act as passengers in the vehicle, Warthen said.

According to the plan, the insurance company would be told that the car had been struck by a hit-and-run driver and that the occupants had been injured, Warthen said. Chernyak said he knew a doctor who would prepare medical bills stating that the driver and passengers were treated for injuries, investigators said.

The undercover officer was then instructed to visit Mike Galperin’s office 12 times, Warthen said. During the visits, Warthen said, the officer was coached by Tatyana Galperin and shown how to fill out medical documents to make it appear that he visited the office 37 times.

Chernyak also said he knew an attorney who would submit claims for $41,000 to Allstate Insurance Co., Warthen said. Allstate was notified Feb. 3 of a hit-and-run accident by the Los Angeles law firm of Lloyd S. Ingber & Associates, where Greenberg works as an office administrator, Warthen said.

The insurance company had been notified by investigators and agreed to cooperate, authorities said.

“This group has really been around the block,” Warthen said. “They had all the bases covered. We suspect they have been at it for at least a couple of years.” He said investigators are looking for other insurance claims involving the defendants.

The defendants were being held at the Los Angeles County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail each, authorities said.

Warthen said Tuesday’s arrests followed the breakup of a similar ring two weeks ago that resulted in the arrests of 12 people, including five from the Valley.