NEW YORK, N.Y., November 7 – Two individuals have been charged in Monroe County in connection with staged accidents for the purpose of committing insurance fraud, according to New York Insurance Department Superintendent Howard Mills.

According to the charges, in March 2006, the Rochester office of the New York State Insurance Department Frauds Bureau received a suspected staged accident fraud referral from the Republic Western Insurance Company Special Investigations Unit concerning a suspicious motor vehicle accident that occurred on November 20, 2005 in the Town of Henrietta.

Republic Western Insurance Company is the insurance carrier for U-Haul rental trucks.

Republic Western stated that on November 20, 2005, Thomas W. Boyde IV reported he was driving his vehicle in the Town of Henrietta when it was rear-ended by a U-Haul truck being driven by Alexandra Ressis. Boyde and Ressis reported that they did not know one another, but Republic Western asserted that its investigation revealed that they had been romantically involved for many years.

Republic Western further reported that Boyde was involved in two other accidents involving U-Haul trucks.

One such accident occurred on June 6, 2002, during which he claimed that a U-Haul truck struck two of his parked vehicles. In the second, on July 23, 2005, Boyde claimed that another U-Haul truck struck and damaged one of his vehicles.

Subsequent to the referral, the Insurance Frauds Bureau, Rochester office, under the supervision of Senior Investigator Gary S. Sullivan commenced a criminal investigation, the department stated.

That investigation, explained the department, revealed that Boyde, the operator of an escort service, acted as the ring-leader of small group of female associates, including Ressis, who would stage motor vehicle accidents in order to collect insurance money.

The investigation centered around 13 fraudulent motor vehicle accident insurance claims that allegedly netted Boyde and Ressis more than $50,000.

In some cases, according to the department, Boyde reported that while he was driving one of his vehicles, it was struck by either a U-Haul or Budget rental truck driven by one of his associates. In other cases, he would be driving one of his vehicles and would allegedly suddenly slam on his brakes, causing unsuspecting drivers behind him to crash into the rear of his car, the department said.

The carriers that have allegedly been defrauded are: Republic Western Insurance Company, Allstate, GMAC, GEICO, Budget Truck Rental, and the Robert Plan.