Wyoming Man Pleads Guilty in $1M Staged Crash Fraud Ring

Yoisler Herrera-Enriquez, 31, a massage therapist from Wyoming, Michigan, pled guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit mail fraud tied to a sprawling staged automobile accident ring that operated across West Michigan from 2012 to 2015. Herrera-Enriquez faces up to 20 years in prison and will be ordered to pay restitution to the defrauded auto insurance companies. He is the fifth defendant to admit guilt in the scheme, which prosecutors say was a tightly orchestrated fraud funneling false claims through three therapy clinics.

The ring ran Revive Therapy Center and HH Rehab Center in Wyoming, Michigan, and Renue Therapy Center in Lansing, Michigan, using them as fronts to bill for therapy that was either unnecessary or never delivered. Herrera-Enriquez and co-conspirators recruited individuals to stage minor traffic collisions, then coached them on fake symptoms to report to physicians affiliated with the clinics. Once prescriptions for physical therapy were secured, participants underwent minimal or no treatment — yet therapy forms were fraudulently completed and submitted to insurers via U.S. mail.

Participants were often paid cash and instructed to sign blank treatment forms, which massage therapists like Herrera-Enriquez later filled out to fabricate months of therapy. These falsified documents were the backbone of thousands of dollars in fraudulent insurance claims. The scam siphoned funds from multiple Michigan no-fault auto insurers, inflating premiums for honest policyholders and diverting law enforcement resources to process phony crash reports.

Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge condemned the operation: “This staged automobile accident ring operated a sophisticated fraud over several years in our community. The ring caused significant losses to numerous Michigan no-fault automobile insurance carriers and diverted limited local law enforcement resources from legitimate police work.” He emphasized that such fraud undermines public trust and will be met with relentless prosecution.

HSI Detroit’s Acting Special Agent in Charge Steve Francis noted the broader impact: “Criminal groups often believe they are employing ingenious techniques to cheat the system. Sadly, we all suffer the consequences when higher rates get passed on to the consumers.” FBI Detroit’s David P. Gelios added, “The FBI will not stand by idly while criminals engage in financial fraud schemes which negatively impact insurance companies and policy holders.”

Three additional defendants — Belkis Soca-Fernandez and David Sosa-Baladron of Tampa, Florida, and Antonio Ramon Martinez-Lopez of Port Richey, Florida — are set to stand trial on March 7, 2017, following a third superseding indictment. The charges against them remain allegations; they are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The investigation is being led by HSI and FBI Grand Rapids, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald M. Stella handling prosecution.

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