Exclusive | Rep. Laura Gillen pushes bill that would make staging car crashes for insurance money a federal crime

WASHINGTON — The accidents may be shams, but the felonies would be real.Long Island Rep.

Laura Gillen is taking aim at dopes who have been caught staging car accidents involving unsuspecting drivers in order to cash in on insurance payouts.On Thursday, Gillen (D-NY) introduced the Stop Auto Fraud Act of 2026, which would make the “crash for cash” practice a federal offense punishable by up to 10 years behind bars, with sentence enhancements for smash-ups causing injury or death.“This is a tough-on-crime, lower-cost bill that is responding to the surge we’ve seen in these crash for cash schemes that are being perpetrated by hucksters and fraudsters across our country, including on Long Island, that are driving up our auto insurance rates and putting drivers’ lives at risk,” Gillen told The Post.“I think this is a no-brainer.There should be broad bipartisan support to crack down on this crime and to make our roads safer and lower costs.”Gillen is teaming up with Reps.

Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Vince Fong (R-Calif.) on the bipartisan measure, which would direct the proceeds of fines imposed on “crash for cash” schemers into the federal Highway Trust Fund.New York drivers pay an average of $3,492 per year in car insurance premiums, more than $1,000 above the national average, Forbes reported in July.Insurance fraud and staged crashes can add more than $300 annually to Empire Staters’ bill, according to data cited by Gillen’s office.“It’s not just the actual accidents themselves and the damage to the vehicles.It’s also about claims for injuries, for treatments, and in some of these fraud cases, people were getting unnecessary surgery just to make their damages go higher, and so it’s cracking down on all of that,” Gillen explained.If a staged accident causes serious bodily injury, convicted fraudsters can face up to 20 years behind bars, or life if the crash causes a death.Gillen was joined in rolling out the...