S. 5058: Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act of 2026

This bill would create a new federal crime for staging a car crash involving a commercial motor vehicle, such as a truck or bus.

What it would prohibit

• If someone intentionally drives a motor vehicle into a commercial motor vehicle to fake or cause a collision, that person could be fined, sent to prison for up to 20 years, or both.

• If the staged collision causes serious bodily injury or death, the penalty would be more severe: a minimum prison sentence of 20 years, along with possible fines.

• The bill also punishes a person who arranges for someone else to carry out one of these staged collisions.

How it would work

• The law would be added to federal motor vehicle safety law in title 49 of the U.S. Code.

• It applies only to collisions involving a commercial motor vehicle, which generally means larger vehicles used for business or commercial transportation.

• A person could not be prosecuted under this new federal law if they have already been convicted or acquitted in state, D.C., or territorial court for the same act.

Other changes

• The bill makes a technical update to the law’s table of contents so the new offense appears in the statutory chapter listing.

Relevant Companies

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