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SANTA ANA (CNS) - A Huntington Beach couple made their first appearance in court Thursday on charges of ripping off an insurance company of nearly $60,000.
Hung Ta and his wife Tam Truong were charged Friday with 10 counts of making false or fraudulent claims, a count of grand theft and two counts of money laundering, all felonies.
The couple reported to authorities their home was burglarized on Oct. 21, 2017, according to investigators in court records. They signed a theft affidavit on Nov. 30, 2017, with National General Insurance for $878,018 in lost property, but were paid $127,876, investigators said.
In a federal investigation it came to light they had falsified receipts for about $68,815, investigators said. Truong allegedly admitted to federal investigators in August 2019 of falsifying some receipts.
A forensic examination of the claim showed the couple claimed $865,308 and were paid $59,625, investigators said.
The two did not enter a plea at their arraignment, which was rescheduled for April 7 in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.
The couple was released under a Pretrial Assessment and Release Services program over the objections of prosecutors who requested $59,625 bail.