Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino Jr. announced the takedown of an auto insurance fraud ring located in parts of New Rochelle and the Bronx this Wednesday.

Nine defendants and five businesses associated with the so-called “Jawahir Enterprise” were accused of enhancing motor vehicle damage and submitting fraudulent insurance claims. Damage inflicted on the vehicles was allegedly used to bill insurers for larger repair costs while keeping the repair rate to a minimum. In a press release by the Westchester District Attorney’s Office, it was stated that the members of the enterprise struck vehicles that were insured with sledgehammers  and rubbed light assemblies along vehicles. They also were accused of staging car accidents between vehicles in order to file claims.

“Auto insurance theft affects every one of us. Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime. When false claims are made and money is stolen from insurance companies, it forces all of our insurance rates to increase and costs each of us hard-earned money. This important collaborative investigation into an egregiously blatant enterprise, whose members used their skills and time to steal from insurance companies, was accomplished with the assistance of many agencies and partners,” said Scarpino.

Joseph S. Cermele, Rangee Jawahir, Georgette S. Sloley, and Wayne M. Scott were among the defendants who were arraigned on December 1 at the New Rochelle City Court. A week later on Dec. 8, the remaining defendants, namely Joseph S. Cermele, Rangee Jawahir, Georgette S. Sloley, and Wayne M. Scott were arraigned as well.

According to the release, the defendants were charged with “Enterprise Corruption, a class B felony, and other felony offenses listed in the felony complaint including Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class C felony; Money Laundering in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony; Insurance Fraud in the Third Degree, a class D felony; and Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony.”

“To all fraudsters: know that this type of illegal conduct will not be tolerated in this County and will be fully investigated and prosecuted,” warned Scarpino. “And to the people of Westchester: know that we actively seek out and bring to justice those enterprises which seek to gain illegal monies to the detriment of all insurance policy holders.”