Two dozen people have been indicted as part of an alleged fraud ring that staged auto accidents and thefts in order to scam insurance companies, the Nevada Attorney General’s Office announced Monday.
According to the grand jury that returned the indictment – the largest multi-defendant indictment in the Nevada AG office’s history – the defendants staged at least 19 car crashes and four thefts in order to cheat insurance companies. The scam allegedly ran from 2014 until May of this year.
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Each of the 24 defendants allegedly had a different role in the conspiracy, according to a
Las Vegas Sun report. Some provided the cars used to fake the accidents or thefts, others drove, and others acted as passengers in the staged accidents.
“This indictment sends a clear message of deterrence to fraudsters engaged in dangerous staged accidents in Nevada,” state Attorney General Adam Laxalt said in a statement. “Unlike most potential fraud schemes, which pose an economic danger to potential victims, the alleged conduct put the lives of those on Nevada’s roadways at risk for illicit profit.”
The defendants face charges including insurance fraud, racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, theft, and battery with a deadly weapon, the
Sun reported.
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