Norwich Resident Involved in Insurance Fraud Scheme Sentenced to Prison

U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Connecticut
14 July 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that FRANDY DUGUE, also known as “Jimmy,” 40, of Norwich, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in New Haven to 100 days of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in an insurance fraud scheme.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between April 2011 and April 2014, DUGUE and others conspired to stage approximately 50 car crashes in eastern Connecticut for the purpose of defrauding automobile insurance companies and enriching themselves. A high percentage of these planned crashes were single-vehicle accidents on remote roads where there were no witnesses other than the occupants of the crashed vehicle. After each staged accident, the defendants filed fraudulent property damage and bodily injury claims with various automobile insurance companies. They then collected payouts on the fraudulent claims from the victim insurance companies. These payouts typically ranged from about $10,000 to about $30,000 per accident.

DUGUE was involved in five false insurance claims, four of which stemmed from staged automobile crashes. DUGUE received $11,004 from insurers based on his false claims.

Judge Meyer ordered DUGUE to pay $10,000 in restitution.

DUGUE were arrested on May 20, 2016. On August 9, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.

DUGUE, a citizen of Haiti and a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., faces immigration proceedings when he is released from prison.

Six other individuals involved in this scheme have been convicted and await sentencing.

This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Norwich Police Department and the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Avi Perry and Michael J. Gustafson.