Man sentenced to nine months in jail

Friday, June 9, 2000 | 3:26 a.m.

Washoe County District Judge Jerry Polaha sentenced Jose Morales, 34, for his part in staging an automobile accident.

Morales reported the accident to the Farmers Insurance Group. The company hired the National Insurance crime Bureau to investigate and those inspectors concluded the damage was not consistent with the accident report.

They determined it was not a moving accident as reported, rather one vehicle was rammed into the side of a stationary vehicle.

"Staged accidents are one of the most popular ways of defrauding insurance companies," Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa.

"Unfortunately, this and other types of insurance fraud hurt every citizen in the form of increased premiums," she said.

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