10 Kennewick residents indicted in staged car accident scheme
RICHLAND, Wash. — Nearly a dozen Kennewick residents are part of a 138-count federal indictment spanning 23 people for their involvement in a staged car accident scheme that accumulated almost $1 million in false insurance claims.
According to a release from the Eastern Washington District Attorney’s Office, participants spanned Washington, California, Michigan, Nevada, and British Columbia.
Investigators say those involved with this scheme staged auto accidents and serious injuries to make fraudulent claims to health insurance companies. They conspired to commit mail fraud and illegally placed claims for lost wages, injuries, and property damage.
READ: Moses Lake man sentenced for shooting ATF agents to cover up drug conspiracy
Some individuals, including several of the Kennewick residents, are also accused of obstructing official proceedings by making false claims that FBI informants solicited bribe payment.
The local suspects who face obstruction charges were identified as Ali Abed Yaser (51), Hussein A. Yasir (39), Hasanein A. Yaser (20), and Mohammed Naji Al-Jibory (33), who was not charged in the staged accident plot.
READ: Prosser man to serve 78 months in federal prison for Benton County drug conspiracy
The remaining defendants out of Kennewick were identified as Insaf A. Karawi (52), Ameer R. Mohammed (45), Khalil Abdul-Razaq (40), Farooq S. Yaseen (32), Maria Elena Sanchez (41), and Mohammed F. Al-Himrani (33).
Some witness tampering charges and false statements charges are also being applied in this case.
Four of the defendants have not been located and are being considered fugitives. They face up to 55 years in prison for their crimes.
RECENT HEADLINES FROM THE KAPP KVEW NEWS STAFF:
- Benton Franklin Superior Court Judge cited for domestic violence
- Blue Bridge collisions, flipped car halt U.S. 395 traffic in both directions
- ‘Funny, generous, and kind:’ Friends remember Tri-Cities theater legend Porky Thomsen
- Lawsuit claims state political maps illegally ‘cracked’ Yakima Valley to dilute Latino votes
- Teenage burglar arrested one day after visiting Southridge High campus, locking down neighboring schools
READ: Tri-Cities law enforcement arrests man connected to retail theft ring
COPYRIGHT 2022 BY YAKTRINEWS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
