The PIP Source
December 2010
Volume 1 Issue 6
Division of Insurance Fraud
www.MyFloridaCFO.com/fraud
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
2
PIP Fraud in Jacksonville
New Prosecutors Join
The Fraud Team
3
Statewide Arrests
4
Office Contacts
“It’s new for us, but
we are determined to
do what we have to in
order to avoid the
large scale invasion
that Miami and
Tampa have
experienced…We will
be ready.”
PIP Fraud Invades Jacksonville and DIF is Ready
PIP Fraud has come to Jacksonville. Although the northeastern corner of
Florida has not been victimized by the numbers that have affected the
rest of the state, especially the Tampa-Orlando corridor and South
Florida, it has nonetheless arrived.
The insurance companies working in this part of the state know that this
is not a new phenomenon – PIP fraud has been in Jacksonville for some
time now, just not in the size and scope that is found elsewhere. But the
epidemic that is causing problems throughout the rest of Florida is
shining a spotlight on just about every corner in the Sunshine State.
Last month, the Division of Insurance Fraud’s Jacksonville office made
four PIP fraud related arrests, and proudly boasts that there will be more
to follow. Captain Brian McCoy, who oversees DIF’s operations in the 19
counties within the North Region, states, “It’s new for us, but we are
determined to do what we have to in order to avoid the large scale
invasion that Miami and Tampa have experienced. We haven’t seen the
big organized rings yet, but I have no doubt that they will try to make their
way to our area. We will be ready.”
Three of the recent arrests by the Jacksonville DIF office involved cases
known as “jump-ins”, with claimants who were not in the vehicle at the
time of the crash, but made claims as if they were. This is a common
type of fraud in Florida. In 2006, the state legislature passed a law that
required police officers to list all parties involved in the crash, including
passengers, on the crash report. While most of these cases involve
parties not listed on the crash reports, these cases were a little different.
In two cases, the suspects were at the accident scene before the police
arrived and told the responding officer that they were in the vehicles
when they were not. After the DIF investigation showed otherwise, the
subjects confessed and were charged with insurance fraud.
Another suspect was arrested and charged with application fraud, having
been involved in an accident while his coverage had lapsed; later
reinstating the policy and reporting that the accident occurred after the
policy was in effect.
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 – December 2010
The PIP Source
New Prosecutors Join the Fraud Team
“In the Criminal Justice System, the people are represented by two
separate, yet equally important groups. The police who investigate
crime, and the District Attorneys who prosecute the offenders…”
“In November, the
Division of Insurance
Fraud hired Howard
Pohl, a 28-year career
prosecutor with the
Miami-Dade County
SAO, to fill the newly
established position of
Senior Attorney in the
Miami office...”
The opening to the NBC TV series Law & Order is dramatic, and true. Our
very first dedicated prosecutor, Nina Vivenzio at the Miami-Dade SAO,
labored in the position for almost four years. As we learned through her
tenure, a dedicated prosecutor is important and essential to the battle
against insurance fraud. Their hard work is vital to success. Time is not
always on our side regarding our prosecutors. While grateful for the time
that they do spend with us, we wish they could stay longer. Over the last
few months, we experienced changes in many of our dedicated prosecutor
positions around the state.
In November, the Division of Insurance Fraud hired Howard Pohl, a 28year career prosecutor with the Miami-Dade County SAO, to fill the newly
established position of Senior Attorney in the Miami office, with the goal to
improve the work on major cases. Pohl brings to the job a wealth of
knowledge and experience, an outstanding work ethic and a hard nosed
determination to fight fraud. Pohl will not only work with the dedicated
prosecutors in Miami-Dade; his duties will also include working with other
prosecutors throughout the state, extolling the value and opportunity of the
dedicated positions and their impact on fighting insurance fraud. Pohl will
also be available to assist other jurisdictions with the prosecution of cases.
At the Miami-Dade SAO, Thomas Poole and Julie Meyers joined the
Insurance Fraud Unit handling PIP cases. ASA Poole started in July, while
ASA Meyers joined the team in October. Kerrie Crockett and Juliana
Millon also joined the unit this year and will handle Workers’ Comp fraud.
In July, Mike Lennon joined Matthew Gale as the newest insurance fraud
prosecutor with the Hillsborough County SAO. ASA Lennon and ASA Gale
will no doubt stay busy due to the PIP fraud increase in Tampa and the
surrounding area. This new position was made possible by funding from
the Florida Automobile Joint Underwriting Association (FAJUA). We
appreciate the contributions of the FAJUA, who were also involved in the
creation of the first dedicated prosecutor position in 2004.
Our remaining dedicated fraud prosecutors around the state include
Joseph Licandro in Duval County; Scott Ernest in Broward County; and
Ryan Kelley in Palm Beach County.
The Division of Insurance Fraud
Would Like To Wish
All Our Readers
A Happy Holiday Season!
The PIP Source
Page 3
Statewide PIP Arrests – November 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.
Jocelyn Cadet, 32 - pip patient identity theft - $8,659 - Gulf Coast Chiropractic Clinic (Liberty Mutual) F
Sergio Philemon, 52 – staged acct 11/08/08 (participant) $49,151 – (Allstate / Progressive / State Farm) O
William Blount, 50 – jump-in - $0 (Travelers) B
Kathy Owens, 47 – lost wages - $2,400 (Nationwide) O
Rikesh Patel, 20 – staged acct 01/14/10 (recruiter) $9,703 – Anthony Crothers, DC (Mendota) B
Akbar Perkins, 36 – jump-in - $628 - Physician’s Group, LLC (Direct General) J
Neil Andrew Santiago, 27 - staged acct 11/08/08 (driver) $21,001 - East Colonial Chiropractic & Rehab (Avis/Budget) O
Janell Robinson, 27 – staged acct 11/08/08 (passenger) $21,001 - East Colonial Chiropractic & Rehab (Avis/Budget) O
Guillermo de Armas, 40 – staged acct 12/16/09 (driver) $14,135 – ABC Therapeutic Center (State Farm) M
Bridgett Dewberry, 28 – staged acct 11/08/08 (passenger) $21,001 -East Colonial Chiropractic & Rehab (Avis/Budget) O
Shelethia Laster, 25 – false statement in support of jump-in (02/01/10) $750 (Geico) J
Devion Joahire, 28 – application fraud (Geico) J
Jeff Toussaint, 32 – solicitation / patient brokering - $687 - West Oak Chiropractic Care (Nationwide) O
Camara Elliston, 32 – staged acct 11/08/08 (passenger) $7,138 – Alliance Chiropractic (Allstate) O
Wanda Laster, 42 – jump in - $750 – (Geico) J
Sammy Pearson, Jr, 39 – jump-in - $100,000 – (Manatee County self-insured) T
Ricky Charleszil Pearson, 35 - jump-in - $100,000 – (Manatee County self-insured) T
Liz Cruceta, 25 – staged acct 12/28/09 (driver) $1,549 (Assurance America) T
Armand Laviola, 26 – staged acct 01/14/10 (passenger) $9,703 – Anthony Crothers, DC (Mendota) B
Office - B (Broward) F (Ft Myers) J (Jacksonville) M (Miami) O (Orlando) TL (Tallahassee) T (Tampa/St Pete) W (West Palm Beach)
The PIP Source
Page 4 – December 2010
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