Driver Caught in Viral Insurance Fraud Attempt List of Charges

The “idiot clown car” is back in the headlines, and one is behind bars. Thanks to the now wildly viral video, the driver in the failed insurance scam was taken into custody this week and charged with multiple charges. I guess that's what happens when people literally see you pull off a detailed but flawed trick.

A quick recap: On October 16, Ashpia Natasha was driving along the Belt Parkway in the New York City borough of Queens when a Honda Civic cut her off while performing a brake check. Natasha avoided the collision, but witnessed the silver two-door intentionally backing into her Acura.

The alleged driver followed some musical chairs in the car behind a tarp covering the rear window (one of many red flags) and left the scene in a getaway Kia Sportage. The remaining Civic passengers stayed behind to portray head injuries while taking photos of the damaged vehicles. Little did they know that the entire incident was recorded on Natasha's dashcams front and back.

It turns out that the fleeing driver is a 28-year-old from Brooklyn. Accordingly PIX11The Queens District Attorney's Office announced the man's arrest. He was arrested Thursday as he returned to New York on a flight from Ecuador. The suspect told authorities that the woman who got out of the driver's side door of the Civic was his wife.

Further costs for the other parties involved are currently unknown. The other two Honda occupants remain unknown. The NYPD also has not released any information about the Kia or its driver. However, the Civic was located in Queens and was seized by police on October 24th.

The Honda driver is charged with orchestrating a car accident, criminal misrepresentation, reckless endangerment, conspiracy and insurance fraud. If convicted, he could face up to seven years in prison.