The largest crime ring in the Evansville, Indiana area, US Attorney Josh J. Minkler, announced federal charges against 36 individuals in an elaborate scheme to defraud insurance companies by staging automobile crashes and filing false police reports. Three SWAT teams and over 70 federal, state and local law enforcement officials served warrants in the tri-state area, apprehending those involved. This is Insurance Fraud pure and simple. The problem is this scheme has been ongoing for years!
“The Burris family is the face of organized crime in the Evansville area,” said Minkler. “My office has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to those who conspire to steal money and put countless lives at risk through their dangerous scheme.”
The Back Story:
The US Attorney’s indictment shares the following:
Between 2008 and 2014, Michael W. Burris, Sr. 56, his wife Lisa K. Burris, 53, their sons Justin A. Burris, 26, and David B. Smitha, 38, and others, planned a series of automobile crashes in and around Evansville. They recruited persons to participate in the staged crashes, made false police reports about the crashes, and then filed claims with insurance providers for “injuries” suffered in the crash which were self-inflicted or fabricated.
In several scenarios, members of the Burris family conspiracy acquired an automobile to use in the staged crash and made certain the vehicle was insured or obtained insurance just weeks before the staged crash. They would then recruit someone to crash the vehicle in a remote area, into a tree or other fixed object causing significant damage. After the crash, the driver would leave the scene and other recruited participants waiting nearby would enter the vehicle and wait for emergency personnel to respond. They would then make a false police report and be taken to the hospital for their purported injuries. Vehicles were often loaded with three or four people after the staged crash to maximize insurance claims.
The indictment further alleges Burris Sr. and his conspirators purposely injured the “victims” to create an appearance that they sustained the injuries in the crash. They did this by punching them in the face, cutting their face with a razor blade and using a wire brush on their forehead.
Lisa Burris and other conspirators instructed the crash participants on how to appear injured by not exiting the vehicle under their own power, using emergency medical resources, and running up medical expenses through hospital stays. She had the “victims” submit false insurance claims and would coach them on how to answer questions from the insurance representatives. When the crash participants received their injury claim checks from the insurance companies, it is alleged in the Indictment that Michael Burris, Sr. and the participants would go directly to the bank on which the check was written, get cash, and divide it among the conspirators.
Here’s a List of Who was Involved:
Michael Burris, Sr., 56, of Evansville
Lisa Burris, 53, of Evansville
David Smitha, 38, of Evansville
Justin Burris, 26, of Evansville
Amanda Carreno, 35, of Evansville
Timothy Ivy, 44, of Evansville
Michael Burris, Jr., 30, of Evansville
Timothy Rice, 38, of Evansville
Shawn Wright, 21, of Henderson
Jordan Lawrence, 21, of Evansville
Joshua Norman, 25, of Evansville
Shaun Gibson, 36, of Evansville
Kyle Blake Lee Smitha, 20, of Evansville
Thomas Thomas, 21, of Evansville
Alyssa Vailes, 22, of Evansville
Latisha Smith, 36, of Evansville
Dillon Williams, 22, of Evansville
Brooke Cox, 32, of Evansville
Brooke Ewers, 27, of Evansville
Toni Wilson, 41, of Evansville
Jerry McGill, 55, of Evansville
Benjamin Widick, 42, of Evansville
Lynn Smith, 34, of Evansville
Phillip Gibson, 37, of Chandler
Michelle Stuard, 30, of Evansville
Ariel Pace, 24, of Evansville
Ashley Hines, 29, of Evansville
Crystal Uziekalla, 41, of Evansville
David Uziekalla, 38, of Wadesville
Tiffany Bowen, 26, of Evansville
Shawna Morell, 35, of Chandler
Jamey Grant, 27, of Evansville
Ryan Maun, 28, of Evansville
Mary Houchin, 36, of Evansville
Theresa Frank, 31, of Boonville
Ashley Hines, 29, of Evansville
Crystal Uziekalla, 41, of Evansville
David Uziekalla, 38, of Wadesville
Tiffany Bowen, 26, of Evansville
Shawna Morell, 35, of Chandler
Jamey Grant, 27, of Evansville
Ryan Maun, 28, of Evansville
Mary Houchin, 36, of Evansville
Theresa Frank, 31, of Boonville
Sherry Greenwalt
From an Ethics Perspective:
Makes you wonder how this got started. While I know none of the people involved, it stands to reason that the older participants set the standard for those younger to participate. In business the Culture of the Company creates the Systems that are put in place to keep people between the ethical lines. In this case, however, it would appear that the Culture was one of long standing fraud and that culture became the system which a large group operated for illegal profit. There are no ethics here, rather what is glaring is a lack of moral compass and integrity.
Every choice has a consequence and in this case the consequence is glaring – PRISON!
YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!
