That's what prosecutor Maura Officer said yesterday, calling the 26-year-old former Haverhill man "prolific" at creating "paper accidents that never happened."
Lopez recruited passengers to participate in the fake crashes, picked up the cars to be used in the phony crashes, filled out the accident reports, and even drove the "patients" to chiropractic clinics and law offices so they could file their phony injury claims, Officer said during Lopez's arraignment in Lawrence District Court.
"He choreographed the insurance fraud schemes that you have seen on a regular basis," Officer told First Justice Thomas Brennan when requesting that Lopez be held on $50,000 cash bail while he awaits trial on three counts apiece of filing a false insurance claim and conspiracy to commit auto insurance fraud.
Lopez pleaded not guilty and is due back in court Sept. 27. The judge set cash bail at $20,000. Investigators are calling Lopez a significant player in the city's three-year-old crackdown on auto insurance fraud that could reach into law offices and chiropractic clinics in several middle class suburban communities in the area.
"It's coincidental, but rather fitting, that one of the most significant arrests in our auto insurance fraud investigation took place on the anniversary of the case that was really the catalyst to our ongoing fraud fight - which has led to 185 people getting charged so far," police Chief John Romero said yesterday.
Lopez was arrested Monday on the third anniversary of the Sept. 4, 2003, accident that killed Altagracia Arias. The 65-year-old great-grandmother died in a staged crash that police said she helped plan to scam an insurance company.
Arias' death prompted the most intensive auto insurance fraud investigation in state history and has led to the fraud bureau establishing seven other fraud task forces.
Lopez's capture was important enough to the city's auto insurance fraud task force that Lawrence police detectives Michael Simard and Ryan Guthrie, along with investigator Kim Giardina of the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts, went to Pooler, Ga., a small town near Savannah, to bring him back.
Picked up on arrest warrants dating back to last year, Lopez also is the target of an investigation by the state attorney general, which led to eight indictments three years ago.
"This individual has already been charged with setting up three paper accidents, and we expect to tie him to many more," Romero said. "But we also believe he could lead us to some professionals as well. There are several lawyers and chiropractors we are looking at."
Romero declined to identify them.
But court documents filed in connection with the case identify Lopez as a former van driver and chiropractic assistant at Kaplan's Chiropractic Clinic in North Andover.
Investigators said Elsa Moure, Lopez's wife, was formerly a van driver for Haverhill Family Chiropractic.
At yesterday's arraignment, Officer described Lopez as a "high-level runner" who got paid by area lawyers and chiropractors to bring them victims from crashes that investigators said were faked.
"He could be facing up to 15 years in prison just on insurance fraud schemes," she told the judge in arguing for high cash bail.
In addition, Lopez could be charged in a case investigated by the state attorney general's office, the prosecutor said.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg. It is believed he orchestrated many more accidents," Officer said.
Lopez posed a flight risk, according to Officer, who said that he first fled to Kissimmee, Fla., in 2003 to avoid prosecution and later to Georgia, where he was picked up without incident by the fraud investigators, accompanied by two U.S. marshals and three Pooler police officers.
At the time of his arrest, the investigators noticed the home where Lopez was living with his wife and five children was sparsely furnished, had suitcases packed and a "for sale" sign in the front yard. They had recently hosted a yard sale, investigators said.
Officer said it appeared Lopez was prepared for another move.
Lopez is one of three former employees of Kaplan chiropractic charged with auto insurance fraud. Officer called him "a very high-level organizer" who worked closely with Chris Ortega, another former co-worker who is a fugitive after being indicted as a result of the attorney general's investigation.
Lawrence lawyer Eric Taitano yesterday argued that Lopez didn't pose a flight risk and should be released on $2,500 cash bail.
"What flight risk does my client pose to the court? He has no prior criminal record," Taitano said.
"He's working down in Georgia. He's supporting five children. He does have family members who will take him today. He shouldn't be held on ridiculous bail," he told the judge.
Even after the arraignment, Taitano said the bail was still a high amount for a man of Lopez's means. The attorney said he might file a petition to Superior Court to have it lowered.
Taitano challenged the prosecutor's claim that Lopez had demonstrated himself as a flight risk by fleeing to Florida.
It was rather a case of deciding to leave Lawrence.
"He's supposed to know two years later that somebody is going to take out a warrant against him?" Taitano asked.
