August 2, 2015
Las Vegas, NV – Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt announced that Esgar Chavarin, 23, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty to one count of insurance fraud, a category “D” felony. Chavarin participated in a scheme to defraud auto insurance companies out of more than $10,000 by assisting co-defendant Martin Curiel-Guerra in staging multiple car crashes. The fraudulent acts were committed between May and June of 2012.
Chavarin rode as a passenger in a car driven by co-defendant Curiel-Guerra, who intentionally caused three separate automobile collisions. Chavarin falsely claimed that the crashes were accidents in order to increase any insurance benefits obtained from the collisions. As a result of the scheme, the City of Henderson, Nevada Highway Patrol, Nationwide Insurance Company and Sentry Insurance Company suffered losses of more than $10,000.
“Car crashes can be dangerous, traumatic and expensive, and those who stage fraudulent crashes intend to make money by submitting bogus claims,” said Laxalt. “Prosecutors in my office will continue to ensure that those who put the public at risk receive justice.”
Insurance fraud is punishable by up to four years of imprisonment and a fine of no more than $5,000. The sentencing hearings for Chavarin and his co-defendant Curiel Guerra are scheduled for December 1, 2015 in the Eighth Judicial District Court.
Deputy Attorneys General Behnaz F. Salimian and Michael C. Kovac prosecuted this case. The investigation of this case was a collaborative effort between the Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud Unit, the Nevada Highway Patrol, the City of Henderson, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
To view the criminal Information for Esgar Chavarin, click here. To file a complaint about someone suspected of committing fraud, click here. Drivers who believe they are victims of a staged collision should report their suspicions to their respective insurance companies.
CHAVARIN, ESGAR
(Photo courtesy of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
###