What Happened
Sixteen people have been arrested for fake car insurance claims, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced, according to News 12. News 12 said the New York State Police and the state Department of Financial Services (DFS) uncovered nearly $500,000 in attempted fraudulent claims across New York City and Suffolk, Onondaga, Monroe and Erie counties.
Suffolk County Connection
Suffolk County is one of the counties named in the investigation. However, no source has named the Suffolk County defendants or the charges they face. No source has said which cases are tied to Suffolk.
The Charges
Those arrested face 31 total charges, including 29 felonies and two misdemeanors, according to News 12.
Transport Topics, publishing a Bloomberg News report, said the 16 people are accused of “staging car crashes and faking injuries to collect nearly $500,000 from insurers.” The outlet called the arrests “one of the first major enforcement actions since Gov. Kathy Hochul made auto insurance fraud a focus of her effort to lower costs for drivers.”
The Cases
Transport Topics reported that trucks were involved in some of the alleged schemes:
- Bronx: Investigators say groups deliberately sideswiped a tractor-trailer on the Cross Bronx Expressway. They also staged another collision that generated more than $154,000 in medical bills.
- Queens: A 25-year-old man is accused of staging an accident in which he claimed an Amazon truck struck him. He allegedly collected more than $18,000 in no-fault benefits.
- Brooklyn: News 12 described a 2025 incident in which a driver allegedly turned into another car at an intersection. The driver then allegedly told authorities the other driver ran a stop sign, and News 12 said the suspect received more than $16,000 from medical insurance claims. Transport Topics separately reported that investigators say a 28-year-old Brooklyn driver intentionally struck a car stopped at an intersection and blamed the other motorist. The Transport Topics account available to LIT does not state an amount collected in that case.
Statewide Context
According to Transport Topics, citing Bloomberg News, New York insurers reported 43,811 suspected motor vehicle fraud incidents in 2025. The same report said Hochul has stated that staged crashes and related fraud can cost drivers as much as $300 a year.