Alleged Staged Car Accident, Insurance Fraud Ring Crippled by New York Judge
www.roadandtrack.com, Emmet White, February 17, 2026
The Empire State has faced an 80 percent increase in suspected motor vehicle insurance fraud since 2020.
An alleged insurance fraud ring in New York State has been shut down in its attempts to receive money from insurers after a New York Supreme Court judge issued a summary judgement last month against a group of defendants who reportedly organized staged car crashes throughout the Empire State.
New York Supreme Court Justice Maureen T. Liccione issued the final disposition on January 20, 2026, finding all members of the alleged fraud ring ineligible for any payouts or settlements from their insurer, Integon National Insurance Company, after more than two years of court proceedings. The judgment asserts that a series of eight automobile crashes occurring in New York City and the surrounding suburbs in 2023 were intentional, and staged in a manner that intended to yield tens of thousands in illegal payouts through falsified incident testimony and unnecessary healthcare visits. New York Police Department records associated with the case claim that that the fraudsters repeatedly cut off and brake-checked commercial vehicles, in an effort to intentionally cause accidents.
The judgment alleges that a series of patterns helped identify the staged accident ring. Specifically, each incident involved three occupants in the vehicle; nearly all the losses occurred in the same area; and each insured vehicle was allegedly rear-ended by a box truck or commercial vehicle. Following the incidents, nearly every defendant was treated at one of two specific medical offices in Queens—visits that were eventually billed back to Integon. These medical offices and the defendants were allegedly working in tandem to pocket "cash kickbacks" from the insurer before any policy premiums were paid, apart from the initial amount paid at a broker's office. Each insurance policy was then canceled following the accident and subsequent payout due to nonpayment of insurance premiums, leaving the insurance companies in the red.
"The Court will preface this summary judgment analysis with the statement that insurance fraud is not a victimless crime. Because premium increases partly incorporate fraud costs, insurance fraud hurts all policyholders, not just insurers," the judgement reads. Continue article