Crime Time

Prison time given for last two defendants in Fort Worth-based 'fake collision' scheme

Prison sentences were handed down Tuesday for two remaining defendants in a fake collision scheme that defrauded insurance companies of hundreds of thousands of dollars from 2006 to 2011, federal prosecutors reported.

A total of four people were convicted in the Fort Worth based fraud operation, the prosecutors said.

Kara Lashon Collins, 36, and Stephanie Denise Moses, 45, were sentenced to 46 months and 12 months respectively.

Read more in this report by Bill Miller

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/11/27/4443388/final-sentences-handed-down-in.html#storylink=cpy

Economy just one reason for insurance fraud spike

As more people struggle financially, law enforcement officials and insurance investigators are seeing a spike in the torching, burying, sinking and dumping of vehicles by owners trying to get out from under hefty car payments.

One man was behind on his car payments, so he got his buddies to steal his vehicle and dismantle it.

Another guy with six-figure credit card debt enlisted someone — who turned out to be a police informant — to steal his motor home.

Both filed bogus claims with insurance companies.

But these, and others like them, all got busted.

Investigators say the people who commit the crimes — called "owner give-ups" — are not your usual suspects.

"Most of them have never been in trouble before, but they lost their job, had a decrease in income or some problem and they can’t afford their vehicle," said Dallas County sheriff’s investigator Tom Reilly. "They don’t want to ruin their credit."

You can read more in a report by Staff Writer Melody McDonald, who also produced a related video. Get all of it here.

'Stolen' bulldozer found buried under golf course fairway

More than a decade ago, a tractor and a bulldozer were reported stolen from the Canyon West Golf Course in Weatherford.

Investigators say they've found the bulldozer -- buried under a fairway at the golf course.

Police say that felony insurance fraud charges could be filed against the owners of the course who reported the equipment stolen more than 10 years ago. Investigators say the tractor is still missing.

You can read more of the Dallas Morning News report here.

-- Lance Murray

Officials: Bad economy led to man sinking his own yacht

It's a sure sign of bad economic times when guys start scuttling their pricey yachts because of "financial pressure and frustration with the maintenance" of the boat.

But that's what authorities say happened last year in Seattle where authorities said a man drilled a hole in his yacht, "Jubilee" and let it sink to the bottom of Puget Sound Bay. He then filed an insurance claim.

When the boat was salvaged by the state because of environmental concerns, investigators say they smelled something fishy.

-- Lance Murray

2 Tarrant chiropractors indicted in staged accident scheme

Two Tarrant County chiropractors have been indicted on federal charges related to a staged accident scheme that bilked insurance companies.

The indictment identified the chiropractors as Minh Huynh also known as Michael Huynh, 37, and Thien Tuan Vo, 37.

Huynh and Vo would submit the bogus treatment and billing records to the firm for submission to insurance companies, according to federal authorities.

When a settlement check was received, the firm would issue checks to itself, the chiropractors and the accident clients, according to the indictments.

Staff Writer Domingo Ramirez Jr. reports.

--Bill Miller

Insurance fraud ringleader pleads guilty to 'staged' accidents

The ringleader of a scheme involving "staged" accidents and fraudulent insurance claims, has pleaded guilty in federal court, officials said.

Tuan Nguyen, 32, will be sentenced in January.

Twenty-two people, among them chiropractors, were charged in the indictment, and 21 of them have already pleaded guilty. The final defendant is scheduled to be tried in February 2008, U.S. Attorney Richard Roper said.

"Nguyen admitted that he orchestrated the conspiracy and conspired with others to defraud numerous insurance companies by staging multiple motor vehicle accident schemes throughout the DFW Metroplex," according to a news release.

The information also noted that the scheme "resulted in actual losses to victim insurance companies of more than $1 million."

-- Bill Miller