Ringleader Pleads Guilty To His Role In $23 Million Auto Insurance Fraud Crime Ring

According to the Sun Sentinel, Felix Filenger of Sunny Isles, pleaded guilty this week to his role in an elaborate crime ring that operated at several South Florida chiropractor clinics. The fraud totaled at least $23 million from 10 auto insurance companies over the last seven years, per court records.

Federal prosecutors say Filenger and Andrew Rubinstein took over troubled clinics and hid their ownership by having chiropractors and other people register the practices in their names. The men told chiropractors what treatments they wanted to be performed, based on the potential revenue from the services, prosecutors said. Medical staff who refused to “play ball” were fired, they said.

Filenger admitted he, and other group leaders, paid kickbacks of $1,500 to $2,000 – per patient – to tow truck drivers and body shop workers who agreed to illegally steer accident victims to chiropractic clinics that were secretly owned by Filenger and his allies.

Filenger plead guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy on Monday in federal court in Miami and is scheduled to go to trial on January 8.  Two co-defendants, who are still scheduled for trial that day, may plead guilty to related charges on Wednesday, court records show.

Andrew Rubinstein, 48, of Miami, is jailed on charges of racketeering and mail fraud conspiracies, wire fraud, health care fraud, and making false statements.

Olga Spivak, 59, a chiropractor from Hollywood, is free on bond. She faces the same charges.

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