New York Arrests 16 in $500,000 Insurance Fraud Cases

New York State Police and the Department of Financial Services arrested 16 people in cases announced Oct. 20, 2026, over nearly $500,000 in attempted auto insurance fraud across more than a dozen schemes. Defendants face 31 charges, 29 of them felonies. Seven arrests were in the Bronx; others spanned Brooklyn, Suffolk, Queens, Staten Island, Erie, Monroe and Onondaga counties. A Dec. 2, 2025 Brooklyn crash allegedly yielded more than $16,000 in medical claims after video contradicted a stop-sign account, officials said. A March 18, 2026 Bronx staging produced more than $70,000 in medical expenses per the press release; a wire summary cited over $154,000 for a Bronx scheme. Susan Guralny faces a charge over a Feb. 16 Progressive claim for truck damage investigators say predated her policy. Tazeona Silas of Rochester is accused of claiming on another person's coverage. Governor Kathy Hochul said New York "will not tolerate criminals gaming the system" and linked fraud to average premiums of about $4,000 a year. Superintendent Steven G. James and DFS Acting Superintendent Kaitlin Asrow credited the joint task force. Queens DA Melinda Katz said, "There is nothing accidental about insurance fraud."