Between 2013 and 2018 the three fraudsters engaged in a widespread fraud scheme through which they defrauded businesses and insurance companies by staging trip-and-fall accidents and filing fraudulent lawsuits. The fraudsters recruited indigent people and even found participants by looking through homeless shelters. The fraudsters then got the participants to stage trip-and-fall accidents at particular locations throughout New York City, and to claim they were injured as a result of the accident. The individuals would “injure” themselves on cellar doors, cracks in the sidewalk, and potholes. The three named fraudsters would instruct the recruits to claim they sustained injuries to specific bodily regains, including their knees, shoulders, and backs. Those body parts reap more reward in personal injury lawsuits. After the “accidents” the recruits were referred to attorneys who file lawsuits against the owners of the property on which the “accident” occurred, or the owner's insurance companies. The recruits then were instructed to pursue care from specific chiropractors and doctors. The fraudsters warned some of their recruits that if they wanted to continue with the lawsuits they were pursuing, they would have to undergo surgery in order to increase the value of their claim. As an incentive, the patients received from $1,000 to $1,500 for their participation in the surgeries.  The fraudsters were able to defraud the victim businesses and insurance companies of more than 31 million dollars.