Richard Ronald Wells Pleads Guilty in $338K Insurance Fraud Scheme

Richard Ronald Wells of Spokane, Washington, has pleaded guilty to orchestrating a high-dollar insurance fraud scheme built on a staged auto accident in Liberty Lake, Washington. Wells admitted to conspiring with others to deliberately crash his 2015 Ram 3500 truck into Christopher Joseph Frangella’s 2005 Ford F250 while towing a 2005 Baja boat—aimed squarely at ripping off Safeco Insurance Company for $338,266.

Wells pled guilty to six counts of mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, one count of conducting monetary transactions in criminally derived property, and one count of conspiracy to conduct such transactions. Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice accepted the nine guilty pleas and set sentencing for July 30, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. in Spokane. Wells walked away with $59,557 of the fraud proceeds via a check from the insurer—money he’ll likely have to repay.

The crash, staged in October 2016, was anything but accidental. Wells and Frangella allowed a co-conspirator to slam the Ram into the Ford under manufactured conditions, then pushed a web of lies to police, emergency responders, and medical personnel. They claimed serious injuries they didn’t suffer and filed false claims through interstate phone calls, faxes, and mail—hallmarks of a well-oiled fraud ring.

Wells isn’t the only one facing justice. Eight others have already pleaded guilty. Ryan Folks Park of Spokane admitted to 14 counts of mail fraud and direct involvement in at least 13 staged crashes across Washington, Nevada, California, and Idaho—netting $2.8 million. He faces sentencing June 6, 2019.

Kimberly Rita Boito of Spokane pleaded guilty to three counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, and healthcare fraud conspiracy, admitting her role in four crashes that generated $1.2 million. Christopher Joseph Frangella of Nine Mile Falls, Washington, admitted to five crashes and $968,737 in fraud. Bonnie Jean Bonney of Placerville, California, admitted to four crashes in Nevada and California totaling $1.183 million in fraudulent claims.

These pleas expose a sprawling regional network of fraud built on faked collisions and falsified injuries. The Department of Justice, through U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Harrington, is treating the case as a model of organized financial crime—where bodies weren’t broken, but trust was. Sentencing hearings loom, and prison time is all but guaranteed for those who turned wrecked vehicles into payday schemes.