“Popsicle” Gets 4 to 10 in the Cooler

On July 29^th, Wallace “Popsicle” Morris, Sr. was sentenced to serve four to 10 years behind bars and ordered to pay $440,000 in restitution to 17 insurance companies defrauded by his ongoing scheme that cost them over $1,000,000. 4 to 10 years in the cooler should give “Popsicle” plenty of time to cool it with the schemes that not only cost insurance policy holders but are also very dangerous for those who participate in the staged accidents.

Wallace Morris, Sr., who also goes by “Pops” or “Popsicle”, was arrested in May of 2008 and charged with 200 counts of insurance fraud as well as other related charges.  Morris eventually admitted to organizing several staged accidents throughout Philadelphia between 2004 and 2006. 

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Morris confessed to recruiting a network of over 268 relatives, friends and associates to participate in the staged crashes with each accident involving two vehicles with three individuals inside, which typically produced at least six claims.  Morris even got the help of crooked law enforcement during the scheme.

“Deshane Riggins, a Philadelphia police officer who wrote phony accident reports for Morris, was fired from the force and pleaded guilty in 2008 to insurance fraud.”

“In his federal case, Morris was involved with another Philadelphia police officer, Drexel Reid Jr., who was arrested in 2007 and has pleaded guilty to fraud.”

Each phony accident ranged in value between $5,000 and $100,000 which was paid out by major insurance companies including, but not limited to, AIG, Geico, Allstate and State Farm. 

Morris eventually pleaded guilty to 44 counts of Insurance Fraud, 33 counts of Theft by Deception and one count each for Bribery, Perjury and Conspiracy.  Morris was also federally indicted in February 2010 for 17 counts of Mail Fraud.