Man gets prison sentence for staging Norwich car crash
A Haitian citizen, who last lived in New London, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in New Haven to approximately five months in prison offset by the time he already served, and three years of supervised release, for his involvement in staging car crashes to collect insurance money.
According to a press release from the office of Deirdre M. Daly, the U.S. Attorney for the Connecticut, court documents and statements showed that Jacques “Magic” Fleurijeune, 28, worked with others to stage approximately 50 crashes in eastern Connecticut “for the purpose of defrauding automobile insurance companies and enriching themselves.”
The press release stated that a high percentage of the planned crashes were single-vehicle crashes on remote roads where there were no witnesses.
After each staged crash, those charged in connection with the scam filed fraudulent property and injury claims with automobile insurance companies. They then collected payouts on the fraudulent claims ranging from about $10,000 to $30,000 per incident.
Fleurijeune had pleaded guilty on Feb. 13 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. In connection with the plea, he admitted to being involved in a staged crash in 2013 in Norwich. He now faces immigration proceedings.
According to court records, Mackenzy Noze, who has also pleaded guilty in connection with the scam, deliberately crashed Fleurijeune’s car, which was in poor condition, in part so Fleurijeune’s could receive insurance money to buy a new car.
After Noze crashed the car, Fleurijeune took Noze’s place in the driver’s seat, told police he had been driving and struck a tree while trying to avoid a deer in the road.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said that after the crash, Fleurijeune’s and his co-conspirators submitted fraudulent insurance claims including how the crash occurred, who was driving and the injuries they suffered. He and others collected a total of $30,534 from the insurance company.
Six other individuals involved in this scheme, including Noze, have been convicted and await sentencing.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Norwich Police Department and the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Avi Perry and Michael Gustafson.