SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco resident Colin Jackson, 39, was found guilty by federal jury, which was presided by Judge Trina L. Thompson on May 6, 2026, of staged auto insurance fraud scheme. He was also charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. September 25, 2026, is the date of his sentencing. He will get the maximum statutory penalty of 10 to 20 years, depending on federal guidelines.
From 2017 to 2018, Jackson and his co-conspirators included previously convicted defendant, Kirill Afanasyev and towing operator, Jose Badillo. They staged vehicle accidents for previously damaged vehicles by submitting fraudulent insurance claims, receiving an estimated total of $57,000 in payouts.
In 2017, Jackson and Afanasyev masterminded a staged vehicle accident with a pre-damaged vehicle, receiving a payout of $30,000.
In 2018, Jackson purchased an insurance policy for an undrivable vehicle by falsifying annual mileage metrics on his application.
Jackson and Afanasyev months later submitted another fraudulent claim for another staged accident using the same undrivable vehicle, deceiving the insurance company when they received a $27,000 payout.
The case was part of “Operation Hammer Down,” an initiative to crackdown on fraudulent insurance claims and arson rings across Bay Area. He became 12th person to be found guilty under this operation because of the federal investigation.
Federal prosecutors filed indictment (United States v. Jackson 3:23-cr-00236) on Wednesday, August 2, 2023. From April to May, a seven-day federal trial was held in San Francisco.
