Florida insurance fraud News

Mayor of Florida City Charged With Insurance Fraud, Suspended by Governor

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has suspended from office the mayor of the central Florida city of Tavares after he was charged with insurance fraud. Scott issued the executive order on July 14, one day after Mayor Robert Wolfe was arrested …

Florida Insurance Agent Sentenced to 7 Years for Insurance Fraud

The Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud, which operates under the direction of CFO Jeff Atwater, announced the conviction and sentencing of former Orlando insurance agent Mario Ferreri. Earlier this year, Ferreri faced trial on fraud charges …

Florida Business Owner Arrested for $1.8M Workers’ Comp Fraud Scheme

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced the arrest of Maira Chirinos, owner of Pompano Beach construction company Tocoa Builders, Inc. Chirinos is alleged to have misrepresented information regarding Tocoa Builder’s operations, employees and payroll when applying for a workers’ …

Two Florida Clinic Owners Charged With Defrauding Insurers

The Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Insurance Fraud (DIF) announced the arrest of two unlicensed clinic owners from Miami-Dade County. Noel Ruiz of Miami and Alberto B Franco of Hialeah were accused of being involved in a “straw …

Flood, Fraud & the Florida Market: McCarty Talks Hot Insurance Topics in 2015

It was another busy year for the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR). From conducting the annual property/casualty data call and subsequent stress test of Florida property insurers, to working on the depopulation efforts of Citizens, to calling out the …

Florida Chiropractor Accused of $1.5M Insurance Fraud Scam

Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced the arrest of Broward County, Florida Chiropractor Eric Wiegandt, 41, on multiple felony fraud charges related to a $1.5 million insurance fraud scheme. A joint state and federal investigation led by the Florida Division …

2 Miami Residents Accused of Conducting $200K in Illegal Insurance Transactions

The Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Insurance Fraud (DIF) announced the arrests of Miami residents Alina Del Prado, 60, and Karla Patricia Figueroa, 40, who are accused of deceptively using unsuspecting licensed insurance representatives’ licenses to defraud Florida …

Two-Year Florida Insurance Fraud Investigation Leads to Multiple Arrests

The Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Insurance Fraud (DIF) has made multiple arrests related to a large-scale personal injury protection (PIP) fraud scheme spanning across Central Florida. Five individuals have been arrested for their alleged various roles in …

Florida Man Gets 6 Years for Staging Car Crashes, Filing False Claims

A 50-year-old Jacksonville, Florida, man has been sentenced to six years in prison for staging car crashes. The Florida Attorney’s Office announced Monday that Guillermo de la Vega pleaded guilty earlier this month to two counts of participating in an …

Florida Agent Arrested for Selling Fraudulent Policies with Suspended License

The Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Insurance Fraud (DIF) announced the arrest of insurance agent Julia Shurdom, 67, for allegedly transacting insurance related business with a suspended insurance license, scheming to defraud, and uttering a forged document while …