Opinion ID: 1161683
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Staged Accidents

Text: The defendants next claim that the evidence was insufficient because the State presented no evidence that the accidents were staged. We acknowledge that the evidence supporting the conclusion that the accidents were staged was largely circumstantial. But, a conviction of even the gravest offense may be sustained by circumstantial evidence. State v. Smith, 245 Kan. 381, 393, 781 P.2d 666 (1989). The circumstantial evidence supporting the conviction included (1) the defendants created a company to support their claims for lost wages and the company could not be verified by investigators; (2) many of the accidents occurred shortly after applying for automobile insurance policies where prior claims and accidents were not disclosed by the defendants on the applications for insurance; (3) there were numerous accidents involving the same individuals and others who had expertise and experience to carry out the conspiracy, and (4) Dr. Loeb failed to disclose on the medical claim forms submitted to the insurance companies that he had treated the person claiming an injury previously for the same or similar injuries. This evidence was sufficient to find that the accidents were staged so the defendants could fraudulently claim insurance proceeds.