Fraudsters Convicted In $31M Personal Injury Litigation Scheme

Personal injury attorney, George Constantine, and orthopedic surgeon, Andrew Dowd, were convicted by a Manhattan federal jury on Friday, December 16, for knowingly profiting from a $31 million personal injury litigation scam.

Following a three-week trial, Dowd and Constantine were both convicted on counts of conspiracy, wire fraud and mail fraud.

The jury found Dowd participated in a conspiracy to conduct fraudulent surgeries with Constantine and another lawyer, Marc Elefant, who pled guilty.

Elefant admitted he found out in 2017 many of his clients had been subject to unnecessary medical procedures, but he continued to pursue their personal injury cases anyway.

Between 2013 and 2018, Constantine and Dowd relied on ‘runners’ who were paid cash kickbacks to recruit plaintiffs and stage or falsely claim trip-and-fall accidents in the New York City area. Accidents were commonly staged in front of cellar doors, near cracks in concrete sidewalks, and purported ‘potholes’ in front of commercial establishments such as gas stations, diners and other businesses.