33 Californians Charged With Fraud For Staged Crashes

Thirty-three people accused of intentionally crashing older cars into each other and then collecting insurance payouts were charged this week for their alleged roles in a scam, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. Most of the defendants are from San Jose and all have been charged with felony insurance fraud. Some of the suspects made their initial court appearances Thursday and all face prison time if convicted as charged, according to prosecutors. The arrests came as the result of the three-year, multi-agency investigation dubbed "coffee break" because the suspects often claimed they accidentally spilled coffee on themselves while driving, which caused them to lose control and crash.