DeSoto Man Sentenced To 9 Years, Must Repay Nearly $5M For Insurance Fraud
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
DALLAS, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - A Dallas-area man has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for running a staged traffic accident insurance scam since 2005.
Before he was caught 61-year old Leroy Nelson of DeSoto made a tidy $5 million in just 7-years by recruiting others to file false insurance claims.
Prosecutors say drivers made false insurance claims in return for cash payments in schemes guided by Nelson through 2012.
It was a sophisticated operation with phony accident reports for stuff like running into a seismographic probe, or a remote aircraft landing marker. It was all to throw off investigators.
Officials say he set up private mailboxes in Minnesota, Missouri, Washington, Arizona, Connecticut and Louisiana to get insurance checks, then had the mail forwarded to him in Texas.
Nelson in March pleaded guilty to mail fraud and to engaging in illegal monetary transactions.
Nelson must also forfeit several vehicles, a motor home, a boat and trailer and real estate in Texas.
(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Latest News:
Top Trending: