“The San Bernardino County district attorney’s office on Tuesday began laying out its case against a Rancho Cucamonga disaster-restoration company charged in a multimillion dollar forgery and insurance fraud case.
Investigators allege the three defendants were involved in a scheme in which they cashed insurance company checks by forging homeowner signatures and fraudulently endorsing mortgage companies banking information on the back of the checks.
Manchester and Roberts were the owners of two ServiceMaster franchises, including the one in Rancho Cucamonga. Reavis was the controller.
ServiceMaster specializes in restoration, cleanup and construction after a fire or flood.
Since their arrests last year, the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office filed an additional six charges of worker’s compensation fraud.
David Simon, the lead prosecutor in the workers’ compensation fraud unit, countered saying that by providing false information to the workers’ compensation insurance carrier, the company saved hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in insurance costs — savings that gave them an advantage when bidding on jobs.
“Because of those savings, they can underbid honest businesses on jobs,” Simon said. “Honest businesses have to be protected against these unfair business practices.”
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