Norwich Resident Admits Role in Insurance Fraud Scheme

NEW HAVEN, CT – A Norwich man pleaded guilty Thursday in New Haven court to one count of wire fraud stemming from his involvement in an insurance fraud scheme.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Pierre Jeudy, 56, and others participated in a scheme to stage approximately 50 car crashes in eastern Connecticut between April 2011 and February 2014.The accidents were intended to defraud automobile insurance companies.

A high percentage of these planned crashes were single-vehicle accidents on remote roads where there were no witnesses other than the occupants of the crashed vehicle, according to a release. After each staged accident, the suspects filed fraudulent property damage and bodily injury claims with various insurance companies.

They then collected payouts on the fraudulent claims from the insurance companies. The payouts typically ranged from about $10,000 to $30,000 per accident.

Jeudy admitted his personal involvement in a staged automobile crash in Norwich on Oct. 22, 2013. He was arrested on May 20 and released on bond.

He is a citizen of Haiti and a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. Jeudy sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 29, where he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

The matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Norwich Police Department and the National Insurance Crime Bureau, with the assistance of the Mohegan Tribal Police Department.