Massachusetts Man Gets 9 Months for Insurance Fraud

January 28, 2009

A man authorities say participated in a series of staged auto accidents in Lawrence in an effort to defraud insurers has been sentenced to nine months in prison.

Leo Lopez was also also ordered Monday to pay nearly $56,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to 36 charges stemming from six staged accidents between January 2002 and March 2003.

Since a staged crash in 2003 in Lawrence killed a 65-year-old woman, the state has cracked down on auto insurance fraud, particularly in Lawrence, the epicenter of the problem.

Police Chief John Romero says prison time is an appropriate punishment.

He tells the Eagle-Tribune the success the city has had prosecuting auto insurance fraud cases since 2003 has resulted in an average decrease of $600 per car in insurance premiums.
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Information from: Eagle Tribune

Topics Fraud Massachusetts

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Latest Comments

  • January 28, 2009 at 4:16 am
    caffiend says:
    Guaranteed he did... if only via higher insurance rates. Have to agree with the others though, 9 months seems to a very short sentence for the amount of money involved.
  • January 28, 2009 at 3:23 am
    SFOInsuranceLady says:
    Boy, Caffiend....just re-read it for the third time....didn't get MY caffiene today.....sorry....still, I wonder if this guy hurt anyone.
  • January 28, 2009 at 2:56 am
    caffiend says:
    I don't believe the guy being discussed had anything to do with that crash after re-reading the article. Quoting the article "Since a staged crash in 2003 in Lawrence killed a... read more

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