Two Brooklyn Men Sentenced for Staging NYC Highway Crashes

Two Brooklyn men were sentenced to prison on Thursday for orchestrating a series of staged car crashes on New York City highways in a scheme designed to defraud insurance companies. Jaime Huiracocha, 53, and Victor Murillo, 34, pleaded guilty to charges related to three coordinated collisions that occurred between August and October 2024.

Queens Supreme Court Justice Jerry Iannece sentenced Huiracocha to one to three years in prison for insurance fraud in the third degree, plus a concurrent one-year term for conspiracy. Murillo received a two-year sentence for staging a motor vehicle accident and insurance fraud, along with a concurrent one-year sentence for conspiracy. The sentences were announced by Governor Kathy Hochul and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.

Prosecutors said the men recruited participants for the crashes, promising them thousands of dollars in cash payouts. Murillo acted as the designated driver, deliberately causing collisions on the Belt Parkway and the Nassau Expressway. Huiracocha followed in a separate vehicle, directing Murillo on when and how to trigger each crash. After the collisions, Murillo would exit through the passenger side, and recruited...