ICYMI: Criminals Shouldn’t Profit By Turning Our Highways Into Crime Scenes – Tampa Bay Times

Washington, D.C. – Today, Protecting American Consumers Together (PACT) Executive Director Lauren Zelt published an op-ed in the Tampa Bay Times calling on Congress to swiftly pass the Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act, which would establish federal criminal penalties for knowingly staging crashes involving commercial motor vehicles — giving law enforcement the tools needed to dismantle organized fraud rings that drive up costs for consumers and businesses nationwide.

Read the full piece here.

Key Excerpts:

Just a few years ago, headlines from Florida were dominated by soaring insurance premiums, lawsuit abuse and a legal climate that was driving costs higher for families and businesses alike. Today, the headlines tell a different story: insurers cutting rates, new companies entering the market and consumers finally seeing relief.

Those improvements did not happen by accident. They happened because Florida’s leaders, including then-Attorney General Ashley Moody, confronted the drivers of lawsuit abuse and enacted meaningful reforms. But one dangerous form of fraud still demands stronger action, in Florida and across the country: criminals who intentionally stage automobile crashes for financial gain.

These are not isolated acts of insurance fraud. They are often sophisticated criminal enterprises that recruit participants, orchestrate collisions, fabricate injuries, and exploit the civil justice system for profit. In many cases, the schemes span multiple states, making them particularly difficult for local law enforcement to investigate and prosecute.

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That is why Sen. Ashley Moody’s Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act and its counterpart in the House deserve broad bipartisan support.

The legislation recognizes a simple truth: Intentionally causing crashes for financial gain is not merely civil fraud, it is organized crime. By establishing federal criminal penalties for individuals who knowingly stage accidents involving commercial motor vehicles, the bill gives law enforcement another critical tool to dismantle criminal enterprises that often operate across state lines and exploit gaps in existing laws.

Every fraudulent claim carries consequences that extend well beyond the parties involved. When criminals manufacture collisions and exploit the legal system for financial gain, everyone pays the price. Insurance premiums rise. Businesses face higher operating costs. Supply chains become more expensive. Ultimately, hardworking American families shoulder those costs through higher prices and higher insurance bills.

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This legislation is not about limiting anyone’s access to the courts. Americans who are genuinely injured deserve the opportunity to seek justice and receive fair compensation. But protecting those rights also requires protecting the integrity of the system itself. Criminal enterprises should never be allowed to exploit our courts as a business model.

Professional truck drivers should not have to wonder whether the vehicle approaching them is being used as part of a criminal scheme. Families traveling on our nation’s highways should not unknowingly share the road with individuals intentionally causing collisions for financial gain, where sometimes even they are targets. Honest businesses should not be forced to absorb the costs of organized fraud disguised as civil litigation.

The civil justice system exists to help people who have suffered real harm, not to reward criminals who manufacture it. Americans deserve a legal system that protects legitimate victims while holding accountable those who deliberately exploit it for personal profit.

The Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act advances that goal by establishing meaningful federal penalties for those who intentionally stage crashes involving commercial vehicles. It is a targeted, commonsense measure that protects consumers, supports legitimate accident victims, and gives law enforcement the tools they need to dismantle organized fraud rings. Congress should move swiftly to pass it.

Zelt’s op-ed makes clear that while Florida’s recent reforms have delivered meaningful insurance relief, organized staged-crash schemes remain a serious national threat — and that passing the Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act is a necessary, targeted step to protect consumers, honest businesses, and the integrity of the civil justice system.