Man accused of staging crashes and operating fraudulent clinics
A former Dorchester man has been indicted on federal charges that he staged multiple auto accidents and operated fraudulent physical therapy clinics in Boston and other cities that were used to treat people for what often turned out to be fake injuries.
Tu Quy Mai, 57, who now resides in North Charleston, S.C., faces 54 counts of mail fraud in US District Court in Boston in allegedly mailing false insurance claims and related documents. He ran physical therapy clinics in Dorchester, West Roxbury, Brockton, Quincy, and Worcester between 2000 and 2006, according to the indictment.
Although he was arrested last week in South Carolina, the US attorney's office in Massachusetts did not make the case public until yesterday, a day after the case was unsealed.
Mai is accused of paying people to stage accidents or to pretend they were in accidents so they could seek treatment at his clinics. Mai sometimes used toy cars to show participants how the accidents should unfold, according to the indictment.
Mai allegedly submitted some insurance claims for patients that did not require treatment or evaluation, the indictment said. He generally had patients claim back or neck injuries, the indictment said.
To avoid detection of the scam, Mai changed the names of his physical therapy clinics and billing companies several times, according to the indictment.
If convicted, Mai faces up to 20 years in jail on each count and a $250,000 fine.
The case is part of a five-year effort to rein in auto insurance fraud.
The effort, which began in Lawrence, has led various law enforcement authorities to charge or arrest more than 500 individuals, including lawyers, chiropractors, and others allegedly involved in the schemes.
rising
falling 