ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A Rochester woman is among the 16 people facing charges in a recent New York State crackdown on car insurance fraud.
New York State Police and the Department of Financial Services are leading the crackdown on fraudulent insurance claims, staged crashes, and related crimes. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office says investigators uncovered nearly $500,000 in attempted fraudulent claims across more than a dozen cases.
Investigators announced the arrests on Tuesday, alleging that 23-year-old Tazeona Silas of Rochester stole someone’s identity to obtain coverage and submitted a claim under a policy in the person’s name. She’s charged with fourth-degree insurance fraud and identity theft.
Reason for the state crackdown
Hochul has made the crackdown on car insurance fraud a key part of her campaign. She says car insurance premiums in New York State are far above the national average, in part, because of fraud, pushing the burden on law-abiding car owners.
Hochul’s plan to reduce premiums involves prosecuting people who orchestrate staged crashes, such as when a driver cuts off another car and then stops abruptly to get an insurance payout. However, some parts of her plan are more contentious, such as policies that would cap pain and suffering damages for drivers injured in some types of crashes. News10NBC’s Deanna Dewey explained how this could play out in a real-world scenario. You can see her story and extended interviews here.
Hochul’s proposal on insurance fraud became law in May, after the state budget passed following an eight-week delay. Hochul’s opponent in the governor’s race, Bruce Blakeman, has criticized Hochul’s handling of car insurance rates.
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