Arrests Made in Florida Personal Injury Protection Fraud Ring
Issues with personal injury protection and insurance related to the same are constantly in the news; and it does not look like will change any time in the near future. According to Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, recently there were nine suspects that were arrested for personal injury protection (PIP) fraud in Miami, Florida. The individuals were charged in eight separate cases that involved a total of seven staged accidents. The individuals were arrested and subsequently charged for their involvement with the filling of over $242,000 in fraudulent billings that they submitted to a total of 11 different insurance carriers.
The participants involved in these staged accidents were referred to at least 13 different South Florida medical clinics and doctors in regards to the personal injury protection fraud ring. Atwater stated in his announcement regarding the charging of these individuals, “While their injuries may have been fake, PIP fraud is real and it is not a victimless crimes. When insurance carriers absorb such high-dollar losses to fraud, we all pay in the form of higher insurance premiums. I’m thankful to our dedicated investigative team for shutting down this fraud ring.” According to the announcement that was made, the case will remain ongoing and it is expected that additional arrests will be made.
Personal Injury Protection Fraud Rings
Personal Injury Protection fraud rings are usually a complex system that involves several different components, however, they all share the fact that each ring is generally monetarily driven. The main components and players in these fraud rings are as follows:
– The Organizer: This person organizes the fraud ring. This can include recruiting and arranging the individuals to stage or intentionally cause the fraudulent motor vehicle accident.
– The Patient Broker: This party is responsible for convincing the participants to seek post-accident medical treatments for injuries that are non-existent.
– Licensed Medical Providers: Licensed medical providers are not involved in every personal injury protection fraud ring. If they are involved, they will usually sign off on the falsified medical treatment documents in exchange for payments that are billed under the participants’ personal injury protection benefits, ultimately coming from their automobile insurance policies.
The nine individuals that were involved in this particular fraud ring were each acting in one of the above capacities mentioned above.
Have You Been Injured?
Because of the complexity of personal injury cases, it is important to have an attorney who has experience in these types of cases and knows what it takes to be successful. If you are involved in a personal injury case, call the Fort Lauderdale attorneys at Boone & Davis. We have years of experience dealing with personal injury cases and we promise to work for you and with you to make the system as easy as possible. Reach out to us today to begin.
