Jan. 28—SPOKANE—A Kennewick the man was sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison for his role in a complex scheme involving the staging of fake automobile accidents to defraud insurance companies, make false statements to law enforcement federal authorities and attempt to obstruct a federal investigation, according to a statement issued by the US Attorney’s Office friday.
Ali Abed Nasser52, pleaded guilty to the charges in 2022. In addition to the prison sentence, Nasser also agreed to three years of court-ordered supervision after serving his sentence, the forfeiture of nearly $20,000 and financial restitution of approximately $127,000states the press release.
Nasser also tried to bribe someone he suspected of being a federal informant in order to stop the investigation and make the case disappear, the press release said.
‘Staging accidents make our streets unsafe and prevent police from responding to legitimate distress calls,’ wrote Vanessa Waldorf, WE Prosecutor of the Eastern District of Washington, in a press release. “Furthermore, efforts to obstruct federal criminal proceedings will not be tolerated.”
“We will continue to work closely with our federal and state law enforcement partners, as well as the private sector, to investigate fraud schemes,” Waldorf added.
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