Flushing man’s flashy sports car scam hits road block: Queens DA

A Flushing man was charged with insurance fraud after allegedly claiming that his light blue McLaren sports car, similar to the one pictured, was stolen. Investigators claim he actually crashed it himself. Photo by Domenik2212 via Pixabay.

By Victoria Merlino

A brazen insurance scam hit a dead end Tuesday, when a Flushing man was charged with insurance fraud and attempted grand larceny for allegedly crashing his $160,000 McLaren sports car and filing false claims to receive an insurance payout. 

Queens prosecutors said Gaston Castro, 36, claimed his McLaren 570 sports car was stolen after he crashed it on Long Island. He filed a police report and attempted to obtain a hefty insurance reimbursment.

“The defendant in this case figured he would cash in rather than take responsibility for a costly crash,” said Acting Queens District Attorney John Ryan. 

 The vehicle was recovered from the brush off the side of a road in Nassau County. On Oct. 7, Castro allegedly filed an insurance claim with GEICO for the total cost of the car, which he had purchased in 2018.

Castro later allegedly admitted that he had been involved in the crash, and the car had not been stolen. 

Castro was charged earlier this year for taking part in a high-speed sports car street race in Long Island, according to the Daily News. 

If convicted on his current charges, Castro faces up to 15 years in prison.