A staged auto accident ended in tragedy for the families involved, as a father faces a prison sentence and a grandmother is lost forever.
On September 4, 2003, Hairo Gomez and Jacinto Maldando Jr. planned and executed a two-car staged accident at a busy intersection in Lawrence, Mass. Gomez, 33, drove his car into Maldando's 1992 Acura with the intention of causing enough damage to collect insurance payments, but he ended up causing much more. Maldando's 65-year-old great grandmother Altagracia Arias, who was sitting in the back seat of the Acura, suffered severe head injuries during the collision and died as a result.
Gomez, who is already serving a five-year sentence for drug charges in a New Jersey jail, now faces a new list of charges, more jail time, and deportation to the Dominican Republic upon release from prison. The married father of 4-year-old twins said that executing his role in the scheme was, "…the worst decision I ever made in my entire life."
Apparently his remorse softened the court, as he's only been sentenced to two and a half years in prison and a $90 payment to the state's Victim Witness Fund despite pleading guilty to charges of manslaughter. Gomez will receive 322 days of credit for time already served on his drug charges.
While this case may seem to have ended with nothing but negative effects, Lawrence Police Chief John Romero pointed out what may have been the only silver lining. Gomez's arrest sparked a widespread investigation in the area, which resulted in some 300 arrests and charges related to auto insurance fraud.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.