Three men and two women were recently arrested and linked to a possible staged auto crash ring in St. Landry Parish, La.

The Louisiana State Police Criminal Investigation Division’s Insurance Fraud Unit said in September 2009, it received information about the possible crash ring. During its investigation, the unit learned about a crash that occurred on a public roadway in St. Landry Parish that was allegedly staged and did not occur how those involved claimed.

Troopers discovered that five individuals claimed to be involved in the crash and each filed a separate claim with an insurance company – unnamed by officials – totaling $113,000.  Based on this information, arrest warrants were secured for the five.

Lora Nobles, 40; Moses Williams, 58; Elridge Tezano, 46; and Phil Fontenot, 49, all of Opelousas, La., face insurance fraud and felony theft charges. Charlene Frame, 47, of Port Barre, La., faces a single charge of insurance fraud.

The Louisiana State Police said all were arrested without incident and the case against all five remains under investigation.