SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Three people were arrested Wednesday after investigators said they intentionally staged a two-vehicle crash in Southwest Miami-Dade as part of an alleged insurance fraud scheme.
Lourdes Suyapa Banegas, 49, was charged with second-degree felony insurance fraud involving a staged accident, according to a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
Her co-defendants, Bruno Adriano Robles, 18, and Oreste Duarte-Castillo, 41, face the same charge.
Deputies responded around 2:50 p.m. Wednesday to a reported crash at the intersection of Southwest 12th Street and Southwest 72nd Avenue.
According to the arrest report, Duarte-Castillo told deputies he was driving a 2021 Honda Civic north on Southwest 72nd Avenue with Robles as his passenger when the vehicle struck a stopped 2015 Ford Fusion driven by Banegas.
Banegas told deputies she had come to a complete stop at the intersection and was rear-ended while her two minor children were inside the vehicle.
Responding deputies became suspicious after observing the crash scene and requested a criminal investigator based on their training and experience, the report states.
Investigators said they later determined the collision had been pre-planned and that all three defendants had allegedly agreed to participate in exchange for compensation.
According to the investigation, the defendants intentionally organized the crash to generate an official crash report that could later be used to support personal injury protection and other motor vehicle insurance claims.
Authorities said neither the defendants nor Banegas’ children were injured, and no one requested medical treatment at the scene.
All three suspects were arrested and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without incident.
Banegas later appeared in bond court, where a judge found probable cause, set her bond at $5,000 and ordered an immigration hold.
Duarte-Castillo also appeared before a judge, who found probable cause and set his bond at $5,000.
Robles likewise received a $5,000 bond after a judge found probable cause.
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