36 people charged in fraud scheme involving staged car wrecks in the Tri-State

EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) - Prosecutors say 36 people were involved in an elaborate scheme to defraud insurance companies.

We're told three SWAT teams and over 70 officers served arrest warrants on Tuesday morning to 30 of the 36 suspects.

The indictment alleges that Michael W. Burris, Lisa K. Burris, Justin A. Burris, David B. Smitha, and others planned a series of accidents in and around Evansville between 2008 and 2014.

Prosecutors say they recruited people to participate in staged crashes, made false police reports, and then filed claims with insurance providers for "injuries" suffered.

We're told they received more than $600,000 in false insurance claims over a four year period.

"This is the largest white-collar investigation and scheme in our area, ever," said U.S. Attorney Josh J. Minkler.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Burris family would recruit someone to crash a vehicle in a remote area.

After the accident, the driver would leave the scene and other people would enter the vehicle and wait for emergency responders to arrive.

Minkler says vehicles were often loaded with three or four people to maximize insurance claims.

The indictment alleges Burris Sr. and his conspirators purposely injured the "victims."

Prosecutors say the scheme involved at least 12 crashes in Vanderburgh, Warrick, and Henderson counties. We're told two medical helicopters responded to one of the staged wrecks.

Investigators say the "victims" were also told how to act during the crash and run up medical bills through hospital stays.

Minkler says false insurance claims would be submitted and checks divided between the conspirators.

Prosecutors have been investigating the case for the past two years.

Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

The following people were indicted:

Police are still looking for six of the suspects: Jerry A. McGill, Benjamin W. Widick, Timothy S. Ivy, Ryan Maun, Shaun T. Gibson, and Sherry M. Greenwalt.

If you have information on their whereabouts, call police.

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