San Jose Man Guilty of Seeking Insurance Payout for His Own Road Rage Accident

 A San Jose man was convicted last week of trying to profit from his road rage by submitting to his insurance company the damage he caused to his own car.

Ken Pham Tran, 53, told Progressive Insurance Co. that the damage to his white Jeep Wrangler Rubicon was caused by an accident. It happened because he repeatedly slammed on his brakes in front of a semi-truck he thought had cut him off on the freeway. Finally, the truck driver – unable to stop – struck the back of the Jeep. 

Tran was convicted after a trial of felony insurance fraud, felony vandalism, and reckless driving. The defendant will be sentenced on July 10, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in Department 51 at the Hall of Justice in San Jose. He faces jail time.

Read the entire press release. Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, June 9, 2026

NICB assisted the investigation.