Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act adds a new title 49 offense for intentionally causing or arranging a collision with a commercial motor vehicle. A person who stages such a collision may be fined or imprisoned for up to 20 years. If the staged collision causes serious bodily injury or death, the bill sets imprisonment at not less than 20 years. It also includes a double-jeopardy-style limitation: a person may not be federally prosecuted for the same act if already convicted or acquitted on the merits under State, District of Columbia, territorial, or possession law.
Who Benefits and How
Commercial truck drivers benefit because staged accident schemes create physical danger, legal exposure, and job risk for drivers. Motor carriers benefit because federal penalties can deter fraudulent crash schemes that raise insurance and litigation costs. Commercial auto insurers benefit from a stronger federal tool against staged-collision fraud. Crash victims benefit because the serious-injury or death penalty targets staged collisions that cause real harm.
Who Bears the Burden and How
People who stage commercial vehicle collisions face up to 20 years in prison or at least 20 years if serious injury or death results. Federal prosecutors must prove intentional staging or arrangement of a commercial motor vehicle collision. Federal courts must handle the new title 49 offense while respecting the bar on prosecuting acts already adjudicated by State or territorial courts. Criminal defense attorneys must litigate the new federal elements, injury consequences, and prior-acquittal or prior-conviction limitation.
Key Provisions
- Creates a federal offense for intentionally causing or arranging a collision with a commercial motor vehicle.
- Provides up to 20 years imprisonment for staged collisions with commercial motor vehicles.
- Requires at least 20 years imprisonment when a staged collision causes serious bodily injury or death.
- Bars federal prosecution for the same act after a State, District of Columbia, territorial, or possession conviction or acquittal on the merits.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Creates federal criminal penalties for intentionally staging collisions with commercial motor vehicles, including a mandatory minimum when serious bodily injury or death results.
Key Policy Areas
Transportation, Criminal Justice, Insurance Fraud
Primary Purpose
Creates federal criminal penalties for intentionally staging collisions with commercial motor vehicles, including a mandatory minimum when serious bodily injury or death results.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Commercial truck drivers
- Motor carriers
- Commercial auto insurers
- Crash victims
Identified Costs
- People who stage commercial vehicle collisions
- Federal prosecutors
- Federal courts
- Criminal defense attorneys
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Collins (for himself and Mr. Gill of Texas) introduced …
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
People who stage commercial vehicle collisions
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology