article_snippet.sent: John Smith (right), 45, from Connah's Quay, North Wales is facing jail after stage-managing several collisions in a £1m 'crash for cash' fraud; Luke McQuillan (left) was found guilty of of conspiracy to commit fraud .
article_snippet.sent: Police uncovered Smith's plot after being alerted by First Direct insurance to the unusually high volume of claims. being alerted by First Direct insurance to the unusually high volume of claims also found more than 90 per cent of the claimants involved in the collisions were linked to one another.
article_snippet.sent: Smith was convicted yesterday at Manchester Crown Court Smith of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud, following a 41-day trial.
article_snippet.sent: During a 41-day trial, the court was told how Smith masterminded the scam by finding drivers who were willing to carry out a fake crash.
article_snippet.sent: Smith was also accused of making a false representation by not declaring two outstanding county court judgments when applying for a licence to operate Smith claims management business.
article_snippet.sent: As part of our investigation conducted a significant number of interviews, to gather the required evidence to prove that Smith and Smith associates had stage these collisions for the sole purpose of financial gain. '
article_snippet.sent: The crime that they committed was not a victimless crime, had all of the false claims created by Smith and his associates been successful