Miami Business Owners Accused of Evading $300K in Workers’ Comp Premiums

An investigation by the Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Investigative and Forensic Services (DIFS), Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Fraud, has led to the arrest of two business owners for allegedly failing to pay more than $300,000 in workers’ compensation premiums.

According to DFS, Jerson Geovanny Quiroz and Reyna Elizabeth Quiroz, owners of Quiroz Carpentry Corporate, were arrested for workers’ compensation premium fraud and grand theft for knowingly misrepresenting or concealing their payroll to avoid paying a higher workers’ compensation premium, investigators allege.

Detectives discovered that Quiroz Carpentry Corporate had cashed more than $1.9 million in labor for carpentry work instead of the $55,500 they had originally reported when obtaining their policy. Had the payroll been properly reported, Quiroz Carpentry Corp would have been charged a total of $307,636 in workers’ compensation premium, DFS said.

To date, the company’s insurer Norguard Insurance has only collected roughly $7,500 in premiums. Quiroz Carpentry effectively avoided more than $300,000 in workers’ compensation premiums based on the owners’ alleged fraudulent actions, DFS claims.

Jerson Geovanny Quiroz and Reyna Elizabeth Quiroz were arrested on Feb. 17, 2021 and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County. Both face charges of workers’ compensation premium fraud and grand theft. If convicted, they each face up to 20 years in prison. Individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

“It is critical that Florida businesses carry the required insurance coverage for their employees. Having insufficient coverage is a serious crime that puts employees at risk, takes business away from reputable contractors, and raises insurance rates for businesses across the state,” CFO Jimmy Patronis said.

Source: Florida Department of Financial Services

Topics Workers' Compensation