Russian Man Sentenced in Alaska Car Crash Scam

A Russian man will serve a year in federal prison and be deported for fraudulently staging car crashes and collecting insurance payments.

Federal prosecutors say 26-year-old Rustem Mukhametshin carried out the scam at remote Anchorage locations to minimize witnesses.

The Anchorage Daily News reports Mukhametshin came to the United States in 2007 on a student visa.

He bought cars that had been judged as demolished, and after making minimal repairs, would stage a crash and claim insurance.

He was arrested in October.

He pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud in January and was sentenced last week.