Former Kansas City Chiefs' wide receiver Jeffrey Leon Webb, of Indio, California, has been arrested on multiple felony counts for allegedly orchestrating four staged collisions resulting in a total loss exceeding $139,000.
“California is ground zero for staged auto collisions,” California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said in a statement. “Organized crime rings are responsible for the majority of staged collisions, which are costly to insurers and consumers. The multi-agency Urban Grant Task Force is one of our most effective weapons in eradicating these crimes.”
Mr. Webb and eight others allegedly were involved in four staged collisions resulting in $70,000 in fraudulent claims and a total potential loss of $139,000. Prosecutors said that Mr. Webb, as the ringleader, received a bulk of the money paid by the victim insurance companies.
After one of the targeted insurance companies suspected fraud, the California Department of Insurance launched an investigation that, it said, revealed that the organized ring used both privately owned and rental vehicles that they had purchased insurance coverage for and purposefully crashed into poles or curbs. Although the collisions only resulted in minor damage, Mr. Webb and the others all requested medical assistance and to be transported, according to prosecutors.
Steven A. Meyerowitz
Steven A. Meyerowitz, a Harvard Law School graduate, is the founder and president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. He may be contacted at [email protected].