The defendants, who were independent insurance agents, collected auto insurance premiums totaling around $320,000 and kept the premiums rather than sending to the insurance companies. This left more than 104 people without the insurance they had paid for.  Many of the victims were non-English speaking and had limited resources. Mendez and Ferguson were convicted and sentenced to six years in state prison and one year in jail, respectively, and paid $100,000 in restitution.