Accident News

Department Of Insurance Investigators Break Up Auto Fraud Ring

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner today announced the arrest of two suspects in connection with staging automobile accidents in California and filing insurance claims for medical treatment they falsely claimed to have received in other countries.

"I am committed to fighting fraud wherever we find it - even across the globe," said Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner. "Thanks to the initiative of our investigators and the help of Homeland Security, it didn't matter that this investigation extended all the way to Sri Lanka."

According to investigators, Ron Ranasingh conspired with other named co-defendants in staging three vehicle accidents that between February 2003 and September 2004. After each accident, Ranasingh and others submitted tens of thousands of dollars in false insurance claims. Agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security tracked down addresses listed on fake bills submitted for chiropractor offices in Sri Lanka, New Delhi and Hong Kong to find they weren't chiropractic offices at all.

California Department of Insurance investigators say Ron Ranasingh (also known as Harsh Rana Singe) 38, of Ontario, Canada, was arrested by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security while traveling through Miami from London. CDI requested Homeland Security's assistance in tracking Ranasingh's travels overseas, and in securing his arrest. Ranasingh was extradited to Santa Clara County on February 22, 2007, where he remains in custody. His bail hearing is set for tomorrow, Wednesday, March 7, 2007. Read more at insurance.ca.gov.

Contact our New York Accident Lawyers if you have ever experienced a personal injury and think others are at fault for the accident.

	Did You Know?
	Speeding-Related Crashes Is Estimated To Be $40.4 Billion Per Year Speeding is one of the most common factors to traffic crashes. The economic cost to society of speeding-related crashes is estimated by NHTSA to be $40.4 billion per year. In 2004, speeding was a contributing factor in 30% of all fatal crashes, and 13,192 lives were lost in speeding-related crashes.