Two Brooklyn men were sentenced for staging three car crashes on New York City highways as part of an insurance fraud scheme, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Thursday.
Jaime Huiracocha, 53, pleaded guilty to insurance fraud and conspiracy charges and was sentenced to one to three years in prison. Victor Murillo, 34, pleaded guilty to staging a motor vehicle accident as well as insurance fraud and conspiracy charges and was sentenced to two years.
Both men had initially faced up to 15 years when they were arraigned in July 2025.
“Staged auto collisions not only terrify the drivers who are targeted, they put other motorists at risk and ultimately lead to increased insurance costs for all New Yorkers,” Katz said in a statement.
Prosecutors said the two men would recruit people to participate in car crashes by promising them thousands of dollars in payouts.
Murillo drove the cars during the crashes, according to prosecutors, and would slam on the brakes in a deliberate attempt to get rear-ended. In one case, when the driver was able to stop before hitting him, he threw the car in reverse and backed into the driver, according to authorities.
After the crashes, Murillo would exit the car through the passenger side and the remaining passengers would feign being injured, officials said.
Huiracocha trailed Murillo in a separate vehicle, telling him when and how to stage the crashes, prosecutors said. Afterward, he would direct the passengers to go to specific medical clinics, according to officials.
The crashes happened between August and October 2024 on the Belt Parkway near Erskine Street, the Nassau Expressway near Cross Bay Boulevard, and the Belt Parkway in Rosedale. One of the victims helped crack the case open with footage from her dashcam.
In one incident, an insurance adjuster received personal injury claims totaling more than $79,000, according to officials.
Two other defendants have also pleaded guilty and are due for sentencing next month.
During the announcement about the sentences, Hochul highlighted reforms aimed at reducing insurance costs, including allowing prosecutors to charge the organizers of these sorts of crashes, not just the drivers, and narrowing the definition of “serious injury.”
“If you stage crashes, try to defraud or endanger New Yorkers, you will be held accountable,” the governor said. “This kind of reckless, illegal behavior has been driving up auto insurance costs for millions of New Yorkers for far too long. By cracking down, we’re not just getting dangerous criminals off our roads, we’re putting money back into the pockets of everyday drivers.”