A licensed massage therapist, a physician’s assistant and 14 massage clinic patients for were arrested and charged with insurance fraud and grand theft as part of an undercover sting operation, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced in a statement.
Judith Gonzalez, 39, owner of Flamingo Health Corporation in Miami, allegedly billed insurance companies nearly $250,000 in fraudulent insurance claims and coached patients on how to commit personal injury protection (PIP) fraud, state officials said.
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The undercover investigation was carried out by the state’s Division of Insurance Fraud and the Miami-Dade Police Department Public Corruption Investigations Bureau. Also assisting the investigation was the U.S. Secret Service in th execution of a search warrant at Flamingo Health Corp.
“Fraud clinics such as this one were the driving force behind much-needed PIP reforms that passed during the 2012 Legislative Session,” CFO Atwater said in a statement. “My office will remain diligent in putting those who abuse the system for their own personal gain behind bars.”
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle is prosecuting the cases. “Every dollar stolen in insurance scams like these comes out of pockets of the people of my community and the pockets of the people of Florida,” Rundle said.
Investigators said that Gonzalez directed undercover officers — who posed as patients — to sign blank treatment forms and coached them on how to answer questions from their insurance company.
Gonzalez, a licensed massage therapist since 2006, is known to have formerly owned and operated other Miami clinics including Fontainebleau Center, Theramed Service and Westchester Service Corporations, authorities said.
Anyone with information about these or any other incidents of suspected insurance fraud is asked to call 1-800-378-0445. Citizens who provide tips can remain anonymous.
The Department of Financial Services to date has awarded almost $275,000 to more than 40 citizens as part of its Anti-Fraud Reward Program. The program rewards individuals up to $25,000 for information that directly leads to an arrest and conviction in an insurance fraud scheme.
