Legislation introduced by Sen. Moody would crack down on these costly, dangerous schemes
Washington 鈥 听Today, the 91制片厂 applauded Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL) for introducing the Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act (S. 5058), a bill that would make it a federal crime to engineer a crash with a commercial motor vehicle. This dangerous and increasingly pervasive criminal scheme deliberately puts innocent motorists at risk, all to manipulate the legal system and extract fraudulent seven-figure settlements from reputable trucking companies.
听
"Florida's trucking industry doesn't just move freight鈥攊t also bears the cost of organized fraud. Staged crashes put innocent motorists and professional truck drivers at risk, while driving up insurance costs for carriers, businesses, and consumers alike,鈥 said Florida Trucking Association President & CEO Scott Perry. 听鈥淲e appreciate Senator Moody's leadership in giving law enforcement additional tools to combat these dangerous criminal enterprises."听
听
鈥淲hen con artists seeking a big payday intentionally collide with commercial motor vehicles, their reckless disregard for safety puts innocent truck drivers and the motoring public at risk. 听The frivolous lawsuits these rapacious individuals file against honest trucking companies contribute to soaring insurance premiums and raise costs for consumer goods,鈥 said 91制片厂 Chief Advocacy & Public Affairs Officer Henry Hanscom. 听鈥91制片厂 commends Senator Moody for introducing this legislation to close legal loopholes that criminals are exploiting to target America鈥檚 hardworking truckers. 听By establishing clear, enforceable criminal penalties, we can finally put an end to this dangerous and costly practice.鈥
听
Numerous schemes in recent years have targeted trucking companies, and these sophisticated fraudsters often have ties to organized crime. 听One such criminal ring exposed in Louisiana was the subject of a recent documentary. 听The saga began when a con artist deliberately crashed into a truck belonging to a third-generation, family-owned trucking business. 听Eventually, involving dozens of 鈥渟lammers,鈥 鈥渟potters,鈥 and corrupt lawyers who orchestrated numerous operations that targeted multiple companies. 听In an attempted coverup, a federal witness was killed. 听
听
The Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act would provide a strong, necessary deterrent to prevent these dangerous and costly schemes from taking root, while offering critical protections to the motor carriers and drivers who tirelessly power our nation鈥檚 economy and supply chain. 听Specifically, the bill establishes straightforward criminal penalties not just for the drivers who stage these collisions鈥攂ut also for the attorneys, physicians, and other co-conspirators who knowingly participate in the fraud to extort victimized motor carriers.听
听
Companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives last year by Congressmen Mike Collins (R-GA) and Brandon Gill (R-TX).