A Miami woman, who helped manage a widespread car insurance fraud ring from her chiropractic clinic in West Palm Beach, has received a six-year sentence in connection with “Operation Sledgehammer.” Maria Testa Baceiro,...
Insights
Judges Question Challenges Brought to Florida’s No Fault Insurance Law
September 20, 2013
A three-judge panel from the 1st District Court of Appeals expressed their reservations Tuesday about a challenge made by acupuncturists, massage therapists and chiropractors to key parts of Florida’s 2012 landmark reform...
Motion for Summary Judgment Granted in Two Pinellas PIP Cases
September 11, 2013
The Pinellas County Court ruled in favor of Direct General Insurance in two recent PIP cases heard in the Small Claims Division. In both cases, the plaintiff alleged breach of contract for failure to pay 80% of reasonable and...
Five individuals from the Tampa Bay area are now facing criminal charges relating to a workers’ compensation insurance fraud scheme, following a lengthy investigation by the Department of Financial Services’ Division of...
Florida Ranks #4 Nationally for High Car Insurance Costs
August 28, 2013
Bankrate.com recently published its first Car Cost Index report, ranking Florida at no.4 in the country in car insurance costs. The median cost of car insurance in Florida was estimated at $1,042 a year, with the national...
The Florida Division of Insurance Fraud arrested a second woman allegedly involved in selling phony proof of insurance cards. The arrest followed an investigative story, “25 Percent of Florida Drivers Don’t Have...
Lake Worth Man Arrested in 2008 Fake Accident Scheme
August 23, 2013
Insurance fraud, vehicle accident fraud, and grand theft are the charges facing a Lake Worth man who allegedly submitted $20,000 in false PIP claims to insurer AIG. According to a Sun-Sentinel article titled, “Lake Worth...
Operation Sledgehammer Leads to Insurance Fraud Guilty Pleas
August 21, 2013
Guilty! That is the plea by four of the 92 individuals charged with federal fraud in a massive staged auto accident fraud scheme. The U.S. Attorney recently announced that Weston chiropractor Dr. Aaron Freedlander, Hollywood...
MRI Machine Housed in Kendall Semi-Trailer Forced to Close
August 20, 2013
Virtual Imaging, a Miami-Dade County healthcare company that operates several outpatient medical diagnostic imaging facilities, was recently forced to close an MRI machine that had been operating from a parked semi-trailer....
Florida Chiropractor Jailed for PIP Insurance Fraud
August 16, 2013
Cape Coral chiropractor Dr. Stephen M. Lovell, former operator of Xtreme Care Rehabilitation Center Inc., was recently sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Lovell was also ordered to...