A Chipley, Fla. woman has been arrested and charged with organized fraud for allegedly steering patients from a hospital physical therapy center and improperly billing insurance companies.
Lorrie Ann Laurel, 40, turned herself in at the Holmes County Jail on one count of organized fraud, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
Laurel, while employed at Doctor’s Memorial Hospital, offered a reduced or waived co-payment to clients with “private-pay insurance.” Then, while being paid by the hospital or using hospital equipment, Laurel treated the patients but provided no documentation to the hospital. Laurel resigned from the hospital in 2003.
In a similar case, a Broward County woman was arrested for double-billing and attempting to collect twice on her hurricane claim.
Indrani B. Horton, 34, of Margate, was charged with fraudulently filing an insurance claim. Horton is charged with a third degree felony for collecting $7,000 in additional living expense money and using the same receipts from that claim to bill $6,000 to a second insurance company for an ALE claim on another property. Additional living expenses are paid to policyholders who have to move out of their damaged homes to pay for food, lodging and essential items.
If convicted, Horton faces a potential sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
To combat fraud, Tom Gallagher, Florida CFO is promulgating tougher fraud reporting rules for insurance companies.
Topics Fraud
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
JPMorgan Client Who Lost $50 Million Fortune Faces Court Setback 
Trump’s Bond Insurer Tells Judge Shortfall Is ‘Inconceivable’ 
FBI Says Chinese Hackers Preparing to Attack US Infrastructure 
Dubai Floods Expose Weaknesses to a Rapidly Changing Climate From This Issue
