Riviera Beach Woman Fraudulently Billing Insurance Companies, Allege Detectives

Two undercover agents, covertly acting as patients who were injured in a car crash, uncovered alleged fraudulent insurance billing practices by Nadine Laurent at Optimum Medical Care in West Palm Beach.

In April, the patients were ordered to have a month of treatments in which they were given electrical stimulation, hot packs and massages, but their insurance was billed for additional services never provided, including manual therapy and ultrasound, according to an article in The Palm Beach Post on October 22.

Florida’s Division of Insurance Fraud found that between the two undercover detectives, Laurent fraudulently billed Security National Insurance Company $1,335 for therapies they had not received.

Laurent was charged with false and fraudulent insurance claim and grand theft. She was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail and released the next day after posting $3,000 bond.

Detectives began looking into the situation after some insurance companies and the National Insurance Crime Bureau flagged Laurent as a person who was potentially committing insurance fraud. A confidential source helped the agents connect with Laurent.

According to the affidavit, the detectives believed their operation was busted in May when employees were acting nervous and “operating by the book.”

Detectives also looked into a $500 compensation Laurent had been known to give to patients after their 10th visit to the clinic. When they asked her about the payment, Laurent denied it existed.

Laurent also refuted all allegations against her. She claims the $500 payment in which detectives were referring was for money she loaned to someone.