Eight suspected insurance scammers, including at least three contenders for America's Worst Parents—are now behind bars, with several others presumably still at large.
On Tuesday, Louisiana state police arrested eight of 11 suspects in connection with a fraud scheme that put children in harm's way to cash in on bogus insurance claims. The charges include child endangerment, insurance fraud, and theft.
Upon reviewing crash reports, detectives believe the defendants involved at least six children ranging in age from 1 to 13 years old as occupants in deliberate auto crashes. Sadly, some of these occupants are children of several suspects in custody. Meanwhile, the search continues for Courtney Thierry, Seth Daigle and Niiya Sanders, who are suspected of helping orchestrate a series of auto accidents occurring in 2011 and 2012. The current theory, according to sources, is that two of the crashes involved eight people, whereas another crash involved a total of ten participants.
Details are still unfolding, but authorities have so far determined that scammers collected at least $112,000 in insurance settlements after filing bogus claims related to the accidents. Right now, authorities believe Farice Daigle Jr., 43, of Arnaudville, Louisiana, arranged the accidents for which he later received a percentage of the resultant insurance settlements. The modus operandi in each case was for the suspects to file individual false injury claims for not only themselves but also for the children involved in the crash.
Police booked the following suspects on June 26, 2013 at the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on one count of each listed charge:
- Chase Joseph, 24, on insurance fraud, theft over $500, and child endangerment.
- Chelsie Chevalier, 21, on insurance fraud and theft over $500.
- Candice Alex, 27, on insurance fraud, theft over $500, and child endangerment.
- Cherita Washington, 24, on insurance fraud, theft over $500, and child endangerment.
- Angel Broussard, 21, on insurance fraud and theft over $500.
- Jamie Ceasar, 32, on insurance fraud.
- Kendall Traller, 24, on insurance fraud, theft over $500, and conspiracy to commit child endangerment.
Gregory Hayes 29, garnered two counts each of insurance fraud, theft over $500 and one count of child endangerment.
Louisiana State Police stress that Courtney Thierry, Seth Daigle and Niiya Sanders are still wanted for one count each of insurance fraud and theft over $500. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of any of these suspects should call 337-262-3341.
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