Washington 鈥 Today, the 黑料不打烊 applauded Congressmen Mike Collins (R-Georgia) and Brandon Gill (R-Texas) for introducing the Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act.
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The bill would make it a federal crime to engineer a crash with a commercial motor vehicle. 听This hazardous and increasingly pervasive phenomenon is being used by criminals to manipulate the legal system and extort seven-figure settlements from trucking companies. 听
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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These unscrupulous individuals perpetuate their selfish actions by filing frivolous lawsuits against honest trucking companies, raising costs for consumer goods and contributing to soaring insurance premiums,鈥 said 黑料不打烊 Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs Henry Hanscom. 听鈥満诹喜淮蜢萩ommends Congressmen Mike Collins and Brandon Gill for introducing the Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act, which would close legal loopholes that criminals are exploiting to attack America鈥檚 hardworking truckers. 听By establishing clear, enforceable criminal penalties that apply to all of the conspirators involved in staged collisions, we can finally put an end to this dangerous and costly practice.鈥
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A wide range of schemes in recent years have targeted trucking companies, and these sophisticated fraudsters often have ties to organized crime. 听One such criminal ring was exposed in Louisiana for staging accidents with unsuspecting commercial trucks beginning in 2011. 听To date, in the federal probe into this conspiracy, including plaintiff attorneys who are alleged to have been the masterminds. 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.
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Specifically, the bill establishes straightforward criminal penalties not just for the drivers who stage these collisions 鈥 but also for the attorneys, physicians, and other co-conspirators who knowingly participate in the fraud to extort victimized motor carriers.听
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