Lawyers Plead Guilty in Fraud Ring
Two attorneys pleaded guilty in connection with a Southern California insurance fraud ring that allegedly staged vehicle collisions and filed false insurance company claims, according to state officials.
Curtis Mitchell Shaw, 61, of Beverly Hills, Calif., and Keith Darran Washington, 41, of Reseda, Calif., were among 18 people charged in 2003 in connection with “Operation Rent & Wreck.” Most of the other defendants in the case that already have entered pleas are serving time or awaiting sentencing.
Prosecutors say between 1993 and 2000, Shaw and Washington’s law office served as a clearinghouse for the staged collisions, netting nearly $2.5 million.
Shaw, who has resigned from the state Bar of California, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, three counts of filing false insurance claims and charges of filing false tax returns between 1998 and 2000. He faces up to three years in state prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 18 in Los Angeles Superior Court, Deputy District Attorney Loren Naiman said. Shaw also will be ordered to pay $1.5 million in restitution.
Washington, who continues to practice law, pleaded guilty to one count of filing fraudulent claims with insurers. He was scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 15 and faces up to a year in county jail. He will be ordered to pay $364,300 in restitution.
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