CFO Jimmy Patronis said, “It doesn’t matter how clever you think your scheme may be, if you commit fraud in Florida, you will be caught and brought to justice. Staging accidents is incredibly dangerous and fraud like this costs every Floridian in the form of higher auto insurance premiums. As your CFO, it is my mission to crack down on fraud. Since I’ve been in office my detectives have made more than 5,000 fraud arrests in Florida. In this state, if you commit fraud, you will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. If you or someone you know is suspicious of fraud, report it immediately at FraudFreeFlorida.com.”

 

An undercover investigation by CFO Patronis’ Division of Investigative and Forensic Services (DIFS), Bureau of Insurance Fraud revealed that Camilo Leon Fernandez allegedly recruited a cooperating witness and Malouly Rodriguez to participate in a staged car crash. They subsequently received treatment for non-existent injuries at Blue Lake Physician Group Inc. Fernandez allegedly paid the cooperating witness $1,500 for participating in the staged vehicle crash and visiting the physical therapy center for fictitious injuries. Subsequently, Yarisel Garcia and another individual, who worked at the office, were submitting false therapy forms to Infinity/Kemper Insurance and National General Insurance resulting in a total of $58,975 in fraudulent billing to the two insurance companies.

 

All suspects were booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on charges including Organized Scheme to Defraud, Patient Brokering, Staged Accident, Insurance Fraud, and Grand Theft. This case will be prosecuted by the Miami-Dade Office of the State Attorney.