A Flushing man was arrested for fraud and other charges for allegedly claiming that his sports car was stolen in order to get a huge payout from his insurance company, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Gaston Castro, 36, was arraigned on Oct. 28 on charges of second-degree insurance fraud, third-degree attempted grand larceny, making a punishable false written statement and third-degree falsely reporting an incident. Castro was released on his own recognizance and ordered to return to court on Dec. 2.
“The defendant in this case figured he would cash in rather than take responsibility for a costly crash,” said acting District Attorney John M. Ryan. “He allegedly told police his pricey McLaren 570 sports car had been stolen, filed a police report and then proceeded to file a false insurance claim in an attempt to recoup $160,000. The defendant — caught in his tracks — is now facing prison time for his greed.”
According to charges, Castro allegedly filed a police report on Oct. 5 with the NYPD’s 107th Precinct claiming that his light blue McLaren sports car had been stolen from his home. Police recovered the vehicle, which was found in the brush off a road in Nassau County, and Castro was informed.
Two days later, Castro allegedly filed a claim with his insurance provider (GEICO) for the “stolen” vehicle in an effort to collect the total cost of the vehicle, which he had purchased in 2018 for $160,000.
If convicted, Castro faces up to 15 years in prison.
