Federal Agents Arrest Participants in Medical Fraud Ring

On August 28, 2016, the Sun Sentinel reported the arrest of two women and a man who were part of a South Florida ring that staged fake car crashes. The ring aimed to defraud insurance companies by charging for massage therapy and chiropractic services to victims that did not need the medical treatment.

The defendants, Guillermo Garcia, 46; Mayre Lopez, 39; and Taymi Gonzalez, 35, were said to have collected more than $1.6 million over a span of two years from different insurance companies, including Allstate Insurance Company, Geico, Infinity, Metlife, Progressive, State Farm and Travelers of Florida. They all pleaded not guilty and are currently awaiting trial.

According to the indictment filed on August 4, the ring began in December 2012 and was carried out until September 2014 in Miami-Dade and other areas of South Florida. The indictment stated that the defendants had conspired to send fraudulent information and billing through the mail to auto insurance companies for alleged medical treatment from the clinic, Rehabilitation Tomasa.

According to the indictment, Gonzalez, Lopez and Garcia not only helped prepare fraudulent claims to insurance companies to validate treatment at Tomasa but also took part in training the ‘victims’ on what they should say to insurance representatives to deflect suspicion. The indictment stated, “ Garcia, Lopez and Gonzalez would deposit the checks into bank accounts they controlled and then convert the proceeds to cash in order to pay the recruiters, accident participants and clinic employees, and to enrich themselves.”

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