Highway crashes are supposed to be accidents. For two men in New York City, they were a business model — a carefully rehearsed performance played out on some of the region's busiest roadways, with real cars, real victims, and a real payday waiting at the end. That scheme has now collapsed into prison sentences, handed down Thursday to the men behind it.

The Sentences and the Scheme

Jaime Huiracocha, 53, and Victor Murillo, 34, pleaded guilty to charges tied to a string of staged crashes carried out on New York City highways between August and October 2024. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz laid out the details of the investigation Thursday, revealing a scheme with more choreography than a typical fender-bender ever needs.

Recruiting Participants for a Cut of the Cash

Prosecutors say Huiracocha and Murillo recruited other participants for three separate staged collisions, dangling promises of thousands of dollars in cash as bait — turning what should have been random roadway accidents into a paid performance with willing actors.

How the Crashes Were Staged

Murillo served as the scheme's designated driver, according to prosecutors. His method: slam the brakes suddenly, forcing the driver behind him to rear-end his vehicle in what looked, to any outside observer, like an unavoidable accident. In one instance, prosecutors say, the trailing driver actually managed to brake in time to avoid a collision — so Murillo reversed his own car into theirs instead, manufacturing the crash he needed. That particular incident was caught on dashcam footage.

A Coordinated Two-Vehicle Operation

Huiracocha, meanwhile, drove a separate vehicle trailing Murillo along the highway, feeding him real-time instructions on exactly when and how to trigger each staged crash, according to investigators — effectively directing the operation from a car length or two behind.

Once a collision occurred, Murillo would climb into the front passenger seat and exit through that door, then flee the scene entirely in a getaway car that pulled in ahead of the crashed vehicle, prosecutors said — a rehearsed escape sequence designed to leave no trace of the actual driver at fault.

Fake Injuries, Real Medical Bills

At the scene, the recruited passengers would feign injuries, prosecutors said. From there, Huiracocha would direct them to specific medical clinics — presumably ones willing to bill insurers for treatment tied to injuries that may never have actually occurred.

A Prosecutor's Warning About Broader Harm

"Staged auto collisions not only terrify the drivers who are targeted, they put other motorists at risk and ultimately lead to increased insurance costs for all New Yorkers," Katz said, framing the scheme's damage as extending well beyond the individual victims directly targeted.

Two of the staged crashes were captured on dashcam video, showing Murillo exiting the vehicle he'd just crashed and climbing into the waiting getaway car — footage that ultimately became key evidence in building the case against him.

The Final Sentences

Huiracocha was sentenced to one to three years in prison. Murillo received a two-year sentence. Two additional individuals allegedly connected to the scheme have also pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced in September, suggesting the fallout from this case is still unfolding.

A Broader Push to Curb Insurance Fraud

The case arrives alongside a wider legislative effort in New York. The state's 2027 budget includes several fraud-reduction reforms championed by Hochul, though the measures have drawn pushback from trial lawyers who argue they could make things harder for legitimate accident victims. Hochul has countered that the reforms will ultimately translate into lower premiums for ordinary drivers.

"This kind of reckless, illegal behavior has been driving up auto insurance costs for millions of New Yorkers for far too long," Hochul said. "By cracking down, we're not just getting dangerous criminals off our roads; we're putting money back into the pockets of everyday drivers."

How to Report Suspected Fraud

Anyone who suspects they've been targeted by an insurance fraud scheme is encouraged to contact the Insurance Fraud Hotline at 888-372-8369, or to file a report online through New York's Department of Financial Services.