Between 80 and 90 motor accidents were staged in the mid-nineties in the Midlands Region. A linkage to a local garage proprietor was identified and the matter was referred to the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigations. Following extensive investigations, a fraud ring was uncovered. Among the methods employed for the staged accidents was the use of the scenes of recent accidents to show debris and oil and the exchanging of number plates with previously written-off cars. During the course of this long and detailed investigation, 1,294 statements were taken and 100 bank accounts were examined using court orders. In total 15 people were convicted – their occupations spanned a range of professions including company directors, a garda, a farmer and a car salesman. Prison sentences ranging from five years to 18 months were handed down.
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