2018 McLaren 570 (Photo: McLaren)
Oct. 30, 2019 By Allie Griffin
A Forest Hills man has been charged with insurance fraud and attempted grand larceny after crashing his expensive sports car and claiming the vehicle had been stolen.
Gaston Castro, 36, faces up to 15 years in prison for filing a false insurance report claiming that his sky blue McLaren 570 was stolen when he really crashed it and left the scene of the accident, according to Acting Queens District Attorney John Ryan.
Castro, who lives on Jewel Avenue, filed a police report with the 107th Police Precinct claiming his sports car had been stolen from its parking spot outside his home on Oct. 5, 2019, according to the charges. Two days later, he allegedly filed an insurance claim with GEICO for the “stolen” vehicle, in order to collect the total price of the car — Castro paid a hefty $160,000 for it in 2018.
In reality, Castro crashed the car on Oct. 5 and police found it in the brush off a road in Nassau County. He later admitted that it hadn’t been stolen and allegedly said that he had been involved in a collision and left the scene of the accident, according to the complaint.
Castro was arraigned Monday in Queens Criminal Court on charges of second-degree insurance fraud, third-degree attempted grand larceny, making a false written statement and third-degree falsely reporting an incident. He was released on his own recognizance and ordered back to court in December, according to the Queens DA.
If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
“The defendant in this case figured he would cash in rather than take responsibility for a costly crash,” Ryan said. “He allegedly told police his pricey McLaren 570 sports car had been stolen, filed a police report and then proceeded to file a false insurance claim in an attempt to recoup $160,000. The defendant – caught in his tracks – is now facing prison time for his greed.”
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3 Comments
https://suffolktimes.timesreview.com/2019/09/street-racers-plead-guilty-sentenced-280-hours-community-service/
same guy
Lock him up a true rich schister
So funny!!! What’s it called when insurance companies rip off the consumer? An error, miscalculation, oversight of the fine print???? But are insurance companies ever convicted or charged with insurance client fraud? I’ve never read anything pertaining to a conviction or charge in a matter like this. Hmmmm…probably never happens…