A viral dashcam video showing a vehicle allegedly backing into another car on the Belt Parkway ultimately unraveled a broader insurance-fraud operation, leading to prison sentences for two men accused of deliberately staging crashes on New York highways to collect insurance payouts.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday that Jaime Huiracocha, 53, and Victor Murillo, 34, pleaded guilty for their involvement in the scheme.
Huiracocha was sentenced to between one and three years behind bars, while Murillo received a two-year prison sentence.
Prosecutors said the defendants orchestrated three staged collisions between August and October 2024. The scheme allegedly involved recruiting people to serve as passengers and obtaining borrowed vehicles that could be used in manufactured crashes, which were then followed by fraudulent insurance claims seeking substantial payouts.
The investigation was launched after Ashpia Natasha, 31, released dramatic dashcam footage of an encounter on the Belt Parkway. The video showed a silver Honda cutting in front of her vehicle before backing into it. The footage spread rapidly online and eventually attracted the attention of investigators.
“We started investigating the viral video and then backed up into these other two that we found out were the same players,” Katz said.
As investigators dug deeper, authorities said they uncovered two other staged collisions on the Nassau Expressway involving a 44-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man.
Although the individuals participating in the crashes varied, prosecutors said Murillo was a recurring figure in the operation and acted as the driver in the scheme.
Speaking at Thursday’s announcement, Hochul said New York is stepping up its campaign against automobile insurance fraud. Those efforts include the creation of a new task force involving multiple government agencies as well as the rebuilding of the state’s insurance fraud bureau.
Katz, meanwhile, warned that the investigation should serve as a message to others involved in staged accidents and fraudulent insurance claims.
She said prosecutors intend to pursue not only those who deliberately manufacture crashes, but also medical providers, attorneys and others who knowingly help facilitate fraudulent claims.
{Matzav.com}
