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Federal prosecutors say six Connecticut residents have been charged with staging car crashes so they could make fraudulent insurance claims.

U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly said Tuesday that five Norwich residents and one New London resident have been indicted by a federal grand jury on fraud and conspiracy offenses.

Daly says the men staged about 50 accidents, many of them single-vehicle crashes on remote roads and with no witnesses other than the driver.

Authorities say after each crash, the defendants filed fraudulent property damage and personal injury insurance claims, leading to insurance payouts ranging from about $10,000 to about $30,000.

Prosecutors say five of the defendants are citizens of Haiti, three of whom are legal U.S. residents. Three are free on bond, two are detained and one remains at large.

Topics Auto Personal Auto Connecticut