Three Men Convicted in $31.7 Million Trip-and-Fall Scheme

Three men were found guilty Tuesday of running a trip-and-fall scam, spanning from 2013 to 2018, that cheated New York-area businesses and their insurance companies out of more than $31.7 million, the NY Postreports.

Bryan Duncan, Robert Locust, and Ryan Rainford were convicted of conspiring to commit mail fraud and wire fraud in regards to their elaborate scheme, which involved recruiting "patients" who occasionally came from homeless shelters to purposely hurt themselves by tripping over cracks in the concrete or on cellar doors.

These men coached their "patients" on how to properly stage their "accidents" that inflicted harm on "particular areas of their bodies, including the knees, shoulders, and/or back – body parts that, if injured, would reap high recoveries in personal injury lawsuits," according to court documents. Those injured individuals were directed to lawyers, chiropractors, and doctors willing to go along with their agenda. They were even forced to undergo surgeries that would increase the amount received in their settlements.

Peter Kalkanis, a former chiropractor who served as the organizer and leader of the scheme, previously plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Duncan was also found guilty of additional counts of mail fraud and wire fraud.

Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman couldn't ignore the allure of making a few puns in response to their conviction, quipping that the three men "were tripped up by the justice system and have met their downfall."