Two brothers have been sentenced to time behind bars for defrauding an insurance company after one of them crashed into a parked car after having a few drinks, a district court said Monday.

The driver, whom the court called Lian Lun, and his younger brother, called Lian Hong, were each charged with insurance fraud for falsely claiming that Lian Hong was the one driving the car when the accident took place on July 27, according to a press release from Jing'an District People's Court.

Lian Lun had been out drinking with friends on the night he hit a van parked near the intersection of Hutai and Jialong roads in Baoshan district, the court said.

With the van unoccupied, Lian Lun had time to call his brother to the scene to pretend to be the driver so he could avoid a possible drunk driving charge.

The brothers also filed a 70,000-yuan ($11,228) claim with the car's insurer, the court said.

After examining the surveillance video footage of the area, the insurance company suspected Lian Hong wasn't the one driving the car at the time of the accident and notified police.

Police arrested the brothers in September. They were later released on bail.

On January 2, police arrested Lian Lun for driving drunk after stopping him for a traffic violation at the intersection of Guangxin and Yuanjing roads in Putuo district, the court said. He was charged with reckless driving.

According to China's Criminal Law, one can be sentenced to up to six months in detention for reckless driving.

The court sentenced Lian Lun to two months of detention for the reckless driving charge and 18 months in prison for the insurance fraud charge.

It also fined him 31,000 yuan.

Lian Hong was sentenced to 15 months in prison, but the court gave him a two-year reprieve.

He was also fined 20,000 yuan.

Global Times