Feds: $31M trip-and-fall scam used homeless people as pawns

By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities say they’ve taken down a criminal racket in which corrupt lawyers and doctors used hundreds of desperate people, including drug addicts and homeless individuals, to feign trip-and-fall accidents to collect damages. They announced charges Wednesday against four individuals, including two lawyers and two doctors. They said people recruited for the scheme were so desperate that they willingly underwent unnecessary surgeries to support lawsuits. The case was brought in Manhattan federal court. U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss says the scam operated for over five years and scammed millions of dollars from New York City businesses and their insurance companies.