One man's gig of instigating auto accidents to file fraudulentinsurance claims is over.

Christopher John Thrain, 42, of Buckhannon, West Virginia, wassentenced on May 21, 2012 to 18 months in prison after pleadingguilty to one count of mail fraud for his part in a stagedcollision racket. U.S. District Court Chief Judge, John PrestonBailey, also ordered Thrain to complete three years of supervisedrelease and make restitution in the amount of $35,962.31 to fourdefrauded insurance companies.

Thrain, an auto body repair specialist, would solicit people toengage in staged auto accidents for which he and the otherindividuals would file fraudulent insurance claims. The schemebegan to derail when Dairyland Insurance investigator, SteveMocchia, and State Insurance Fraud Unit Investigator, Brad Dumire,noticed commonalities between claims filed by Thrain. Specifically,insured vehicles seemed to have a strong propensity for strikingThrain's parked vehicle. In all, seven claims were made by Thrainwhere his parked vehicle was supposedly struck by insuredvehicles.

The racket completely jumped the tracks when seven peopleconfessed that the crashes in which they were involved were staged,and that statements made to their insurers were false. All sevenclaimed that the scheme was Thrain's idea. Thrain was remanded tothe custody of the U. S Marshall pending designation to a federalinstitution. Next stop: Stony Lonesome.