The owner of a prominent Riverside County bail bonds company was arrested on Friday, June 2, after a state Department of Insurance investigation concluded that Fausto Atilano submitted photographs of look-alikes posing as fugitives in order to receive refunds on bail money that his company had forfeited.
Judge Jerry Yang approved the District Attorney’s Office’s request to prevent Atilano from posting bail until a hearing could be held to determine whether Atilano could do so without tapping into what authorities contend is stolen money. Atilano is due in court on July 17. The Department of Insurance said it received information that Atilano told Riverside County courts that he had found fugitives in Mexico.