Local doctor and former Calexico mayor arrested

Calexico Police said Dr. Mohamed Assiad and former Calexico Mayor David Ouzan were arrested Thursday morning on insurance fraud charges.

Dr. Assiad is a member of Imperial County Mental Health Board. Ouzan is a Calexico businessman.

Authorities said Assiad and Ouzan took a van across the border to Mexicali in September. They came back without it and reported it stolen. Assiad received payment from an insurance company for the alleged loss of the vehicle. Police said they have pictures and other evidence provided by Mexican authorities that prove the insurance fraud charges against both men.

If convicted they could face prison time.

Officer Shaun Sundahl said, “In S eptember 2017, Mr. Mohamed Assiad made a stolen vehicle report. He reported his 2016 Honda Odyssey stolen from the Santo Tomas Swap Meet. Later on, we found out that the report was made falsely. That’s considered a felony because of the price of the vehicle and the intention to defraud the insurance company.”

Calexico Police gave a statement in the afternoon saying they would not comment any further on this case for the time being.

We reached out to the Assiad family and they said they reject the allegations and have an attorney looking into it.

Dr. Assiad is an Imperial County Mental Health Board member. David Ouzan is a Calexico businessman.