Overview

• After their arraignment on July 30 in Queens Criminal Court, 53-year-old Jaime Huiracocha and 34-year-old Victor Murillo pleaded not guilty to counts including insurance fraud, conspiracy and reckless endangerment.
• Prosecutors say Huiracocha recruited participants at an East New York medical clinic by promising thousands of dollars to stage three crashes between August and October 2024.
• Key dashcam recordings from an October Belt Parkway collision spurred a joint investigation by the NYPD, the Department of Financial Services and the Queens DA that exposed tactics such as seat-swapping under a tarp.
• The defendants allegedly filed claims with Allstate Insurance for more than $79,000 in damages and injury payouts and each faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
• Huiracocha and Murillo are scheduled to return to Queens Criminal Court in September as authorities intensify efforts to disrupt crash-for-cash schemes across the city.