Deliberate Traffic Accidents for Girlfriend's Finances... Man in His 40s Sentenced for Defrauding Over 600 Million Won in Insurance Payouts

Committed Crimes Whenever Living Expenses Were Needed
Conspired with Girlfriend as Accomplice

A man in his 40s has been sentenced to prison for deliberately causing traffic accidents and fraudulently obtaining over 600 million won from insurance companies under the pretense of medical expenses and settlement payments.

According to the legal community on September 3, the Criminal Division 12 of the Suwon District Court (Presiding Judge Park Geonchang) sentenced Mr. A (41), who was tried on charges including violation of the Special Act on Prevention of Insurance Fraud, to five years in prison. His accomplice, Mr. B (43), was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years.

Mr. A was found guilty of intentionally causing a total of 45 traffic accidents over approximately five years from 2019 to 2024, fraudulently obtaining about 450 million won in insurance payouts. He targeted vehicles that were driving abnormally, such as those changing lanes or making illegal U-turns, to carry out his crimes.

During the trial, Mr. A claimed that the accidents were caused either by side effects of medication or by mistakes made by the drivers of the other vehicles. However, the court did not accept these arguments. The court pointed out that Mr. A had ample time to avoid the collisions but made no effort to do so, determining that his intent was clear.

Of particular note is the collusion between Mr. A and Mr. B, who were in a romantic relationship. From April 2020 to April 2022, they intentionally caused 14 traffic accidents, fraudulently obtaining about 206 million won in insurance payouts. They committed these crimes whenever Mr. B’s bank balance was low, and it was found that the stolen money was used for living expenses, such as paying off credit card bills or settling debts.

The court explained that the sentencing took into account the fact that Mr. A led the crimes over a long period and consistently refused to admit his wrongdoing, instead making excuses. The court also criticized Mr. A, stating, "Insurance fraud does not only harm insurance companies; ultimately, it leads to higher premiums, causing losses to many honest policyholders," and emphasized that his actions undermine the social function of insurance.

In contrast, Mr. B received a suspended sentence in consideration of efforts to compensate the victims. The court added, "Although Mr. B participated in the crimes by following Mr. A’s lead, he made efforts to partially compensate the insurance companies for their losses and made a criminal deposit as part of these efforts."