Florida Roofing Co. Owners Face Fraud Charges

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher announced that the owners of an Orange County roofing company were arrested for workers’ compensation fraud and organized fraud.

Investigators with the department’s Division of Insurance Fraud allege Clifton Meyer, 69, and son-in-law Mark Lee, 36, both owners of Meyer & Lee Construction Inc., failed to report payroll, for workers’ compensation purposes, on 85 employees for more than $900,000 to either their staff leasing company or their insurance company, Liberty Mutual. As a result Meyer and Lee were able to avoid nearly $450,000 in premiums.

“Employers who evade premiums risk leaving workers without a safety net to pay for potential work-related injuries,” Gallagher said. “And by choosing to ‘go bare,’ they drive up insurance costs for businesses that follow the law.”

The pair surrendered to investigators at the Orange County Jail on Sunday. The case is being prosecuted of the Office of Statewide Prosecution, Central Florida Bureau, by assistant statewide prosecutor John Roman. If convicted on all charges, the men each could face up to 35 years in prison and up to $900,000 in fines.

Anyone with information about this case or other possible insurance fraud should call the department’s Fraud Hotline at (800) 378-0445. A reward of up to $25,000 is offered for information leading to a conviction.