The residents allegedly purchased auto insurance following a crash and then filed claims for those accidents now each face up to five years in prison, authorities said.
TRENTON -- Six New Jersey residents who allegedly purchased auto insurance following a crash and then filed claims for those accidents now each face up to five years in prison, authorities said.
All six residents, including a mother and daughter, were charged with one count of third-degree insurance fraud this week for the "crash-and-buy schemes," the New Jersey Attorney General's Office and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor announced on Thursday.
Kevin Ford, 29, of Egg Harbor Township; Rajinder Kaur, 35, of Jersey City; Wilson Njenga 31, of Belleville; and Yasmeen Scudder, 26, of East Orange were all charged in separate incidents, officials said. The charges against Newark residents Annette Smith, 52, and her daughter, Nanette Smith, are in connection with the same incident.
None of the defendants were represented by attorneys, officials said.
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The defendants purchased auto insurance after their vehicle was involved in an accident, officials said, and then "within days or months of obtaining insurance" they allegedly filed claims for those previous accidents.
One of the claims was filed with GEICO, while the others were filed with Progressive Garden State Insurance Company, officials said.
The residents face up to five years in prison and $15,000 in fines if convicted.
New Jersey's acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi said "drivers tempted to commit this kind of illegal chicanery after a crash should think about the serious criminal penalties they'll face."
Erin O'Neill may be reached at eoneill@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LedgerErin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.