Fake Auto Accident Scam Causes Dallas Law Firm to Repay 200K

A Dallas law firm has been forced to repay $200,000 in proceeds that is illegally received from a fake auto accident scam that involved many people within the firm. Reports claim that there were many different people in on the scam including legal assistants and possibly up to two dozen confederates. However the entire things was apparently not known by the firm’s owner who was understandably quite surprised. Representatives of the firm on Cole Avenue, Trey Allen P.C., which was formally known as the law office of John H Allen, was forced to pay $150,000 Wednesday at a hearing for sentencing which followed the $50,000 that they already willing agreed to pay in September after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and mail fraud. The firm will have to pay the remaining $640,000 in restitution over the next five years with quarterly payments after the judgment of U.S. District Judge Jorge Solls. However there are many twists in this case that would appear to be a normal conspiracy case. For example, The owner of the firm, John H. Allen, has not been charged at all as the courts have decided that he was completely unaware of the ill practices that were taking place between employees and associates of the firm. The charges claim that John H. Allen III had absolutely no idea of the illegal practices of legal assistance “Tommy” Tung Tran.  The courts have claimed that Tuan “Andy” Nguyen was considered to be the ringleader of the operation. He could possibly receive up to 40 years in prison and a $500,000 fine as well as paying restitution. Tuan pleaded guilty to charges in October 2007 and is currently awaiting sentencing. There have been many different claims of people that are worried about the practices of the firm and its employees that were not charged or considered to be part of the case. However the case has resulted in 27 convictions. The scam involved buying junk cars, insuring them and staging crashes in order to report fake injuries and make insurance claims. All and all there were more than $1 million insurance proceeds collected which was ultimately the reason that the people involved were caught and prosecuted.