An Irvington man admitted Monday to staging a 2012 car accident in Newark and collecting more than $25,000 in insurance payouts, authorities said.
Jerry Previlon pleaded guilty to a single count of second-degree insurance fraud before Superior Court Judge Michael Ravin in Essex County, according to a statement from the state Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.
Authorities say Previlon was in the passenger seat of a 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix driven by his girlfriend, Yasmeen Louis, when the car was struck from behind.
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Louis later said in a sworn statement that the driver of the other car, allegedly one of Previlon’s acquaintances, got out of the car and fled the scene in a third vehicle, authorities claim.
Over the next several months, the two filed 28 medical claims with Liberty Mutual totaling $25,100. They were indicted last year on a host of charges including insurance fraud, conspiracy and records tampering.
“Staging accidents, as this defendant admitted doing, is not only a crime, it poses a serious danger to the well-being of every driver, passenger, and pedestrian in the vicinity of the crash,’ said acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Christopher Iu.
Under a plea deal, Previlon faces five years in state prison. Louis is seeking pre-trial intervention, authorities said. Their attorneys could not immediately be reached.
