New York State Department of Financial Services joins law enforcement as two men are charged over staged highway crashes and insurance fraud

The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS), working with the New York City Police Department and the Queens District Attorney, highlighted criminal charges against Jaime Huiracocha and Victor Murillo for allegedly orchestrating three staged vehicle collisions on New York City highways and seeking insurance payouts. The defendants face counts including staging a motor vehicle accident, insurance fraud, conspiracy, reckless endangerment and related offences. According to the investigation cited in the charges, Huiracocha allegedly recruited participants with promises of cash payments and provided instructions on how to execute crashes and submit supporting materials, while Murillo allegedly drove vehicles used in the collisions and participated in post-crash seat-switching intended to misrepresent the driver. The incidents described include an October 16, 2024 crash on the Belt Parkway captured on a victim’s dashcam, an October 3, 2024 crash on the Nassau Expressway involving a tractor trailer, and an August 24, 2024 crash on the Belt Parkway, with claims reported to Allstate Insurance Co., including personal injury claims totaling more than USD 3,000 for the Nassau Expressway incident and more than USD 79,000 for the August Belt Parkway incident. Both defendants were arraigned on a criminal complaint and are due back in court on September 9 for Huiracocha and September 4 for Murillo; if convicted of the top count, they each face five to 15 years in prison. A third defendant, Maikel Martinez, was charged in November and that case remains pending.