It was a snowy day on Dec. 14, 2013, when 31-year-old Mackenzy "Ken Ken" Noze crashed into a tree on a back road in Killingly.

Unsatisfied with the extent of the damage, Noze allegedly threw the car into reverse and tried again — not once, but twice — in an effort that ultimately left him with a successful $7,095 bodily injury insurance claim.

Now, Noze is one of six local men facing federal charges after staging about 50 car accidents to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars from insurance companies, according to Connecticut U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly.

Noze, 31; Jonas "James" Joseph, 32; Frandy "Jimmy" Dugue, 39; Carlins Calixte, 32, and Pierre Jeudy, 56, all of Norwich, each were charged May 18 with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and multiple counts of mail and/or wire fraud.

Jacques "Magic" Fleurijeune, 26, of New London also was charged May 18 with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and multiple counts of mail and/or wire fraud.

Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

According to an indictment, which was unsealed Monday from a federal grand jury in New Haven, a majority of the crashes the men planned beginning in April 2011 were single-vehicle accidents on remote roads with no witnesses.

In many of the accidents, including the three detailed in the indictment, Noze allegedly was responsible for wrecking the car, but either left in a getaway vehicle or got into the backseat before police arrived.

Following the crashes, which involved different combinations of the men and sometimes additional co-conspirators, those involved would work together to ensure that their false statements, whether about the conditions that caused the crashes, who was driving, who was in the car or who was injured, were in alignment, according to the indictment.

Payouts from the property damage and bodily injury claims the men would then file ranged from about $6,500 to $30,000 per accident, according to the indictment, with Noze typically receiving a share for his role in orchestrating the accidents.

Of Noze, Dugue, Calixte, Fleurijeune and Jeudy, who all are citizens of Haiti, only Dugue, Calixte and Jeudy are lawful permanent residents of the United States, according to officials.

Arrested between May 20 and May 23, Noze and Fleurijeune remain detained while Dugue, Calixte and Jeudy have been released on bond.

Joseph has not been arrested. Police are asking anyone with information on his whereabouts to call the Federal Bureau of Investigation at (203) 777-6311 or Norwich police at (860) 886-5561.

The FBI, Norwich police and the National Insurance Crime Bureau, with the assistance of the Mohegan Tribal Police Department, are investigating the matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi M. Perry is prosecuting the case.

l.boyle@theday.com