The PIP Source
January 2011
Volume 1 Issue 7
Division of Insurance Fraud
www.MyFloridaCFO.com/fraud
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
2
3
A Message From Director
John Askins
IASIU
Remembering Lieutenant
John Haczynski
4
PIP Fraud In The News
6
Statewide Arrests
7
Office Contacts
“There is no shortage
of criminals who seek
to commit fraud at
every opportunity, and
the dedicated law
enforcement officers at
DIF are determined to
do their best to
investigate and arrest
them.”
2011 - What Does The Coming Year Hold For PIP?
Where does the time go? We start the new year,
facing the tasks that 2011 will bring us. The State
of Florida has a newly elected Chief Financial
Officer, Jeff Atwater, and he is eager to take on
the many challenges of insurance fraud. CFO
Atwater has declared that we must take tough and
decisive action against PIP fraud.
With his
support, I am confident we will accomplish great
things in the coming year.
I started with the Division of Insurance Fraud in
1978, two years after it was created by the
Legislature to combat the scourge of ambulance
chasers in South Florida. I have seen a lot of
Director John Askins changes in the 33 years that have passed since
my first day on the job. But some things never change. There is no
shortage of criminals who seek to commit fraud at every opportunity, and
the dedicated law enforcement officers at DIF are determined to do their
best to investigate and arrest them. We are truly energized about some of
our active investigations and the pending arrests that will no doubt strike at
the heart of this problem. We can’t wait to share those exciting cases with
you over the next few months.
We have added a new PIP squad in Tampa to combat the increasing
problem in that area, and we are working hard to pursue the most serious
lawbreakers elsewhere in the state. We hired a Senior Attorney in Miami to
help coordinate our efforts and improve the quality of our cases. We are
working for legislation that will eliminate loopholes used by accident clinics,
and we are asking for additional dedicated prosecutors to help us send
more of these criminals to jail. We hope you are enjoying our expanded
PIP Source newsletter as well, with new features starting next month.
On page 3, we remember John Haczynski, one of the finest individuals I
have ever known and worked with. I hired John in 2001 when I was still in
the Miami office. I hope you take time to read it, and remember with us, an
outstanding state employee who served Florida’s citizens with great pride
and enthusiasm.
Thank you to everyone for your efforts in the ongoing fight against
insurance fraud, have a safe and wonderful New Year, and I look forward
to continue working with you in 2011.
The PIP Source Newsletter is now available online each month at
www.MyFloridaCFO.com/fraud. You can find each new issue posted at our website
by the third week of each month. Previous issues are also available. If you prefer
to receive The PIP Source by e-mail or have comments you wish to share, contact
us at our new e-mail address at ThePIPSource@MyFloridaCFO.com.
Page 2 – January 2011
The PIP Source
IASIU And The Fight Against Insurance Fraud
If you are not in the insurance industry, you might not have heard of IASIU. But if
you are, you know the important role they play in the fight against insurance fraud.
IASIU – The International Association of Special Investigation Units is a non-profit
organization of highly skilled professionals who investigate insurance fraud. It was
formed in 1984 by a group of insurance industry fraud investigators, and today
boasts more than 4,000 members representing more than 600 insurance
companies or self-insured companies, NICB and the Insurance Crime Prevention
Bureau.
“IASIU – the
International
Association of
Special Investigation
Units… was formed
in 1984 by a group of
insurance industry
fraud investigators,
and today boasts
more than 4,000
members…”
Their mission includes promoting a coordinated effort within the industry to combat
insurance fraud; providing education and training for insurance investigators;
developing greater awareness of the insurance fraud problem; encouraging high
professional standards of conduct among insurance investigators; and supporting
legislation that acts as a deterrent to the crime of insurance fraud.
“Our plan this year is to continue to find ways in which we can provide insurance
fraud awareness training to the insurance industry.” stated Nancy Jensen,
President of the Florida South Chapter. “We additionally will find ways in which we
can participate in community activities, helping out and supporting our local law
enforcement partners as well as individuals assisting us in the fight against
insurance fraud.” Jensen adds “I welcome everyone who is not a member to
consider the benefits of membership and to take advantage of the educational
opportunities as well as our strong network relationships.”
The Division of Insurance Fraud works closely with the local IASIU chapters and is
grateful for the efforts and dedication in the fight against insurance fraud.
There are five chapters in Florida. Listed here with their current presidents, they
include: Florida South - Nancy Jensen (Met-Life); Florida Southwest - Christi
Walker (State Farm); Florida Central - Juli Hyde (Farmers); Florida Orlando Sandy Ferrer (Tower Hill); and Florida North - Dana Ferrin (Geico).
If you are interested in becoming a member of IASIU, go to their main website at
www.iasiu.org and look for the chapter in your area. Tell us what you are doing to
fight fraud and we will try to share it with our readers.
From The Editor – In 2011, we will be expanding The PIP Source to include even more information, with two new
regular features - PIP Fraud Spotlight and PIP Fraud In The News. Our goal is to provide our readers with the most
beneficial news and articles about the Division of Insurance Fraud, our cases and PIP. Thanks for your support.
Page 3
The PIP Source
Thanks To Ohio Farmers Insurance In The Fight Against Fraud
We would like to thank our partners at the Ohio Farmers Insurance Company
for their donation to our agency of an undercover surveillance vehicle which will
be used by the Division of Insurance Fraud to combat fraud in the West Central
Region, which covers 15 counties stretching from Tampa to Ft Myers. PIP fraud
has increased dramatically in this part of the state, especially in the Tampa
area. We know that this vehicle will enhance our ability to conduct successful
undercover investigations against the PIP fraud rings that operate here, and we
are grateful for the contribution by Ohio Farmers Insurance to the fight.
Pictured to the right is Ohio Farmers Insurance Company’s SIU Director
Steve Jarrett, handing over the keys to our DIF detective (whom we are unable
to identify). Director Jarrett is a retired law enforcement officer from the Tampa
Police Department.
This is the latest update on our statewide Fraud Awareness Campaign. These public
service announcements provide information on the Reward program along with the
telephone number to call with tips (1-800-378-0445). The Division of Insurance Fraud
offers rewards up to $25,000, depending on the case.
New posters / billboards are up at the following locations Ft Pierce - West side of U.S.1, just south of Tozour Rd. – facing south
Pensacola - West side of Sorrento, north of Segura – facing north (Perdido Key)
Pensacola - West side of Davis Hwy, north of Texar – facing south
Tampa - South side of I-4, 850’ east of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. – facing east
Tampa - West side of I-75, 1 mile south of Fowler Ave. – facing south
Report Fraud
Call 1-800-378-0445
Correction - In the December 2010 Edition of the PIP Source, we misspelled the name of our new dedicated
prosecutor in Miami – ASA Julie Meyer. We apologize to Julie and to our readers for the mistake.
IN MEMORIAM:
We take this time to remember our friend and co-worker, Lieutenant John Haczynski,
who died five years ago on January 15, 2006, when his motorcycle was struck by a truck in
North Miami. John worked with the Division of Insurance Fraud a little more than four years
and had just been promoted to Lieutenant in December 2005. John had retired from the
New York City Police Department after 20 years before coming to South Florida to join our
Insurance Fraud Team. As a detective in the NYPD’s organized crime unit, he investigated
corruption in private sanitation companies, was part of a task force that investigated
Russian mobsters and, as part of an FBI-NYPD task force, he helped arrest members of
the Genovese crime family. At DIF, he made more than 120 arrests, including 100
participants in staged accidents. In his spare time, John was an avid boater and
motorcycle enthusiast. John was one of the finest and most productive employees at DIF
and he is sorely missed. John was 49.
Page 4 – January 2011
The PIP Source
PIP FRAUD In The News
This month we bring you the first offering of a new regular feature called PIP Fraud in the News, where we
showcase other PIP related news and information we feel is important for you to know.
Miami New TImes Publishes Article on 411-Pain Network
While too lengthy to effectively cover here, you might want to check out this article, written by Lisa Rab and published
by the Miami New Times, called Crash Course: 411-Pain Network will line their pockets with your insurance
money. It details the workings of an attorney referral service operated by a chiropractor in South Florida. Here is a
quote from the article regarding the commercial with the actor portraying a police officer – “The commercial's
message is simple. It tempts viewers with $10,000 but never explains that the doctors and lawyers, not the patient,
will get the money.” It is an informative article, including the following information – “In the past dozen years, the
company has spent more than $13.2 million on advertising, according to court documents. More than 250,000 people
"like" 411-PAIN's Facebook page.”
Take some time to read it.
You can find the article at
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2010-12-09/news/crash-course-411-pain-network-will-line-their-pockets-with-yourinsurance-money/.
Collier County Sheriff’s Office Hits Clinics in Operation Back Breaker
Congratulations to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office Organized Crime Bureau. In a press release, they detailed a
year-long investigation into four Naples chiropractor clinics that resulted in 14 arrests. The clinics were suspected of
paying people to become involved in staged accidents and then claim that they were injured and in need of
chiropractic care. The clinics billed for the maximum amount even though little or no treatment was rendered.
Assisting the Sheriff’s Office with their investigation were NICB, the Florida Department of Health, Infinity Insurance
Company, State Farm Insurance Company, AIG Insurance Company and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.
The four clinics connected with the arrests, all in Naples, are:
•Royal Therapy Center
•Medical Cuban American
•Gulf Coast Therapy & Rehabilitation
•Health Park Chiropractic
Among those arrested were:
Norma Valdes, Gerardo Montalvo, Yirandy Hernandez, Elieser Valdes, Dayana Hernandez, Edwin Alexander Herrera,
Celia Valdes Rodriguez, Anyel Delgado, Erlis Chercoles, Janet Alamo, Jacqueline Fils, Clebson Fils, Claudia M
Sanchez and Miguel Alberto Rodriguez.
Charges filed against the defendants included scheme to defraud, patient brokering, fraudulent insurance claims and
unlicensed practice of healthcare profession.
For more info, check the Collier County Sheriff’s Office website at www.colliersheriff.org
You can also check out the story on WINK News website at http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2010-1230/Nearly-a-dozen-arrests-in-insurance-fraud-in-Collier-County
NICB, DIF Assist Broward Sheriff’s Office with Insurance Card Operation
In November, the Broward Sheriff’s Office Economic Crimes Unit organized a contractor checkpoint to identify county
ordinance violations. Uninsured motorists are a safety concern, and anyone presenting a false or fraudulent proof of
motor vehicle insurance commits a felony of the third degree. With that in mind, BSO worked with the National
Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) to organize a simultaneous insurance verification check. The Division of Insurance
Fraud also participated. Twenty insurance company representatives representing 17 different companies were on
hand to verify insurance coverage for law enforcement officers making traffic stops countywide. One arrest was made
for fraudulent motor vehicle insurance. The participating insurance companies were Allstate, Direct, Farmers, Geico,
GMAC, Infinity, Kingsway Amigo, Mercury, Nationwide, Seminole Casualty, State Farm, Star Casualty, United Auto,
and USAA.
The PIP Source
Page 5
DIF Regions and the PIP Squads
Below is a map with the Regions created by the Division of Insurance Fraud in a reorganization that took effect last
year.
For the South Region, we have 3 PIP squads in Miami, supervised by Lts Violeta Serrano, John Dygon and Stanley
Jean-Felix and 1 squad in Broward supervised by Lt Bill Lee. For the East Central Region, we have 1 squad in West
Palm Beach supervised by Lt Evangelina Brooks and 1 in Orlando supervised by Lt Jewel Cameron. For the West
Central Region, we have two squads in Tampa, supervised by Lt Carlos Rosario and a pending Lieutenant promotion.
In Ft Myers, we have 3 dedicated detectives supervised by Lt John Salome. In the Panhandle and North Regions,
there are currently no dedicated squads, but any PIP cases are capably supervised by Lt Joe Holokan in Pensacola
and Lt Kevin Jones in Jacksonville, respectively.
As you can see, there is a lot of ground to cover, especially in the Central Regions. While PIP fraud is concentrated in
the cities where our squads are located, it is also happening in the outer reaches of each region. Over the last two
years, our agency has received referrals for PIP fraud in 56 of the 67 counties in our State.
Page 6 – January 2011
The PIP Source
Statewide PIP Arrests – December 2010
Each issue will provide a list of PIP arrests made by the offices throughout the State. Along with each defendant’s name
and age, we will include: the type of scheme involved; the fraud dollar amount; clinic name(s); victim insurance company
name(s); and the arresting office. If you need additional details on any of these arrests, please contact Captain Smith.
Arturo Hernandez-Pena, 52 – doctor - $4,118 – Orlando Physical Therapy (Geico) O
Shumara Compres, 40 – staged acct 12/07/09 (passenger) $0 - America Healing Center Clinic (Direct General) T
Narcisco Fernandez Fermin, 45 – staged acct 12/07/09 (driver) $0 - America Healing Center Clinic (Direct General) T
Ivan Malagon, 41 – clinic owner / unlicensed clinic- $15,500 – One Touch Massage and Rehab (State Farm) O
Jorge L Cordero, 48 – staged acct 10/25/08 (recruiter) $29,841 – Medical Service Center of Florida (State Farm) M
Charlene Jacobs-Robinson, 40 – false reimbursement for paid claim - $3,496 – (Nationwide) J
Ricardo Serrano Jr, 31 – staged acct 12/07/10 (driver) $1,956 - Healthy Solutions LLC (Amica) T
Yosbel Marimon, 34 - staged acct 06/06/07 (recruiter) $42,757 -Orlando Med Therapy Group (Avis /State Farm) O
Robin Corrales Castro, 34 - staged acct 06/06/07 (recruiter) $42,757 -Orlando Med Therapy Group (Avis /State Farm) O
Joel Andes Sanchez, 28 - staged acct 06/24/09 (recruiter) $7,620 - Taft Massage Therapy Center (Star Casualty / State Farm) O
Barbara Jean Cochran, 25 – paper acct 121/29/09 (driver) $0 - Tampa Pain Rehab (1st Acceptance) T
Robert Garcia Portomene, 27 – staged acct 03/25/06 (passenger) $9,280 - Amerimed Diagnostic Services (Republic Western) T
Juan Carlos Heredia, 39 - staged acct 03/25/06 (recruiter) $9,280 - Amerimed Diagnostic Services (Republic Western) T
Jean Francois Desir, 59 – jump-in - $0 – Community Chiropractic (Geico) T
Reinaldo Cruz-Bonilla, 23 – staged acct 10/05/09 (passenger) $10,000 – Healing Hands (Geico) T
Sol Maria Cruz-Bonilla, 27 – staged acct 10/05/09 (driver) $10,000 – Healing Hands (Geico) T
Alexis Carter, 21 – paper acct 08/25/10(driver) $0 – (Geico) O
Fritz Gerald Jean Charles, 33 – clinic employee / patient brokering - $4829 - Alhambra Health & Rehab (Hallmark) O
Darren Villiers, 27 – staged acct 01/20/09 (recruiter) $276,197 – Solution Care Center (Bristol West / GMAC / Seminole Casualty) B
2011 is going to be a busy year – Watch this space for exciting news!
Office Code –B (Broward) F (Ft Myers) J (Jacksonville) M (Miami) O (Orlando) TL (Tallahassee) T (Tampa/St Pete) W (West Palm Beach)
Page 7
The PIP Source
Statewide PIP Contacts
PANHANDLE REGION
Counties: Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin,
Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson,
Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa
Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton, Washington
PENSACOLA FIELD OFFICE
Captain Buddy HAND
Lt. Joseph HOLOKAN
850.453.7802
610 Burgess Road
Pensacola, FL 32504
TALLAHASSEE FIELD OFFICE
850.413.3115
200 East Gaines Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0324
EAST CENTRAL REGION
Counties: Brevard, Indian River, Lake, Martin,
Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach,
Seminole, St. Lucie, Volusia
WEST PALM BEACH FIELD OFFICE
Major Simon BLANK
Captain Glen HUGHES
Lt. Evangelina BROOKS
561.837.5601
3111 S. Dixie Hwy., Suite 310
West Palm Beach, FL 33405-1557
ORLANDO - FIELD OFFICE
Lt. Jewel CAMERON
407.835.4402
400 West Robinson Street, Suite S-823
Hurston Building, Orlando, FL 3280l
NORTH REGION
Counties: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay,
Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton,
Levy, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Sumter,
Suwannee, Union.
JACKSONVILLE FIELD OFFICE
Captain Brian McCOY
Lt. Kevin JONES
904.798.5802
921 North Davis Street, Bldg. B, Ste.149
Jacksonville, FL 32209
WEST CENTRAL REGION
Counties: Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee,
Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lee,
Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota.
TAMPA FIELD OFFICE
Captain Michael BYRNE
Lt. Carlos ROSARIO
813.972.8602
8600 Hidden River Parkway, Suite 100
Tampa, FL 33637-1016
FORT MYERS FIELD OFFICE
Lt. J.D. SALOME
239.278.7527
4700 Terminal Drive, Suite 5
Fort Myers, FL 33907
SOUTH REGION
Counties: Broward, Dade, Monroe
MIAMI FIELD OFFICE
Captain Steven SMITH
Lt. Violeta SERRANO
Lt. John DYGON
Lt. Stanley JEAN-FELIX
305.536.0302
40l N. W. 2 Avenue, Suite N-32l
Miami, FL 33l28
PLANTATION FIELD OFFICE
Lt. Bill LEE
954.321.2902
499 N.W. 70 Avenue, Suite 309
Plantation, FL 33317
NICB Contact Info
South Florida Major Medical Fraud Task Force
Supervisory Special Agent Fred Burkhardt
954.349.7427
Central Florida Major Medical Fraud Task Force
Supervisory Special Agent Fred Burkhardt
954.349.7427