SAN DIEGO -- The alleged ringleader and another man accused in a staged vehicle collision scam in which more than $200,000 was fraudulently collected from insurance carriers pleaded not guilty Monday to insurance fraud charges.

Jay Stoney Anderson, 31, and Patrick DeLeon, 20, are among 11 people charged in the case. More than 83 felony charges were collectively filed against all 11 defendants, one of whom is a juvenile.

Five defendants were arraigned in Superior Court Friday.

Deputy District Attorney Victor Ou told Judge David Szumowski Monday that Anderson, of Chula Vista, is accused of involvement in seven of the staged collisions and DeLeon in four.

Anderson, the alleged ring leader, was ordered held on $500,000 bail and faces up to 11 years in prison if convicted, Ou said.

DeLeon's bail was set at $250,000. He faces eight years behind bars if found guilty, the prosecutor said.

The arrests culminated a yearlong investigation by California Department of Insurance detectives.

In each case, the vehicle that caused the collision, commonly referred to as the "hammer" vehicle, was abandoned at the scene prior to the arrival of police, according to CDI officials.

Follow-up investigation revealed that the "hammer" autos had either been abandoned by their registered owners or reported as stolen prior to the collision.

For each crash, the passengers in the other involved vehicle, referred to as the "nail" vehicle, claimed soft-tissue injuries and sought treatment at a local hospital, according to CDI officials. Those passengers later filed personal injury claims with the insurer.

When the insurance company settled the claims, the payment checks were sent directly to the "injured" passengers who left outstanding hospital bills, investigators said.

In one particular staged collision, the backpack of an occupant of the "nail" vehicle was found by police in the "hammer" vehicle of the same collision, which had been abandoned at the scene, according to the CDI.

Numerous connections between the owners of the "hammer" vehicle to the occupants of the "nail" vehicles were found throughout the investigation. The investigation also allegedly revealed numerous connection between participants of each collision and Anderson.

To date, seven insurance carriers have paid out more than $200,000 to suspects involved in the 11 staged collisions, according to Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner.

Besides Anderson and DeLeon, charges were brought against Dajuan Dunn; John Jordan; Mary Lett; Roger Poole; Malcolm H.; Deborah Matthews; Tyrone Ledet; Arthur Zieglar; and Sharon Harville.