The Brief
A San Jose man was sentenced on Friday to 60 days in jail for felony insurance fraud, felony vandalism, and misdemeanor reckless driving.
Kenneth Pham Tran, 54, was found to have caused a Jan 29, 2025 collision, for which he later filed an insurance claim stating he was the victim.
Dash cam footage obtained by investigators showed Tran initiated the incident by driving recklessly and brake checking a semi-truck.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – A San Jose man was on Friday sentenced to 60 days in prison for felony insurance fraud stemming from a road rage incident in January of last year.
Dashcam footage showed Kenneth Pham Tran, 54, initiated a road rage incident that resulted in him being rear-ended by a semi-truck, for which he later filed an insurance claim.
In addition to 60 days in prison, Tran was sentenced to two years of probation and is ordered to pay over $4,000 in restitution.
“Road rage doesn’t pay,” Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in a press release. “Crimes like these jeopardize public safety and increase insurance costs for consumers and businesses. I applaud the work of our detectives and investigators, which is essential in protecting California drivers and holding offenders accountable.”
The backstory
Tran was involved in a Jan. 28 collision, which he claimed occurred when his Jeep was damaged after being rear-ended by a semi-truck while he was stopped in traffic. Tran claimed the driver of the semi refused to pull over and exchange insurance information.
San Jose California Highway Patrol investigated the collision, and later referred the case to the California Department of Insurance, which conducted its own investigation.
That investigation discovered a witness who placed a 911 call reporting they’d had to swerve out of the way of a Jeep that was driving recklessly and ‘brake checking’ a semi-truck on the 101 freeway in San Jose. The witness reported the driver of the jeep swerved in and out of lanes to keep the semi-truck behind the vehicle, and held the brakes several times before the semi-truck struck the back of the vehicle.
The witness stated the driver of the semi-truck would not have been able to prevent the collision.
The incident was captured on the semi-truck’s dashcam. Investigators obtained the footage and found evidence that Tran had initiated the crash because he felt that he’d been cut off by the semi-truck.
A jury found Tran guilty of one count of felony insurance fraud, felony vandalism, and misdemeanor reckless driving.
The Source
California Department of Insurance