Fraud Charges Brought

By Daily News

A Newhall man could face up to five years in state prison and $50,000 in fines for asking the wrong guy to steal his truck, the state's insurance commissioner said Friday.

Eric Joseph Horvat, 28, was arrested Feb. 23 by investigators with the state Department of Insurance fraud division on suspicion of staging the theft of his 2006 Ford F-150 truck in a scheme to defraud his auto insurance carrier of $45,000, Commissioner Steve Poizner said.

Horvat was charged with two felonies -- insurance fraud and perjury after a police report revealed that Horvat offered $3,000 to an undercover officer to steal his car.

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