CFO Jimmy Patronis Announces Arrest of Fort Myers Woman for $70,000 in Alleged Insurance Fraud

FORT MYERS, Florida, April 19 -- The Florida Department of Financial Services issued the following news release:

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced the arrest of Crystal Danielle Clarkson after allegedly defrauding her insurance company out of over $70,000 in fraudulent health insurance claims for medical treatments she never received.

CFO Jimmy Patronis said, "Insurance fraud is a serious crime and unfortunately bad actors choose to game the system and by doing so, drive up insurance rates for every Florida family. In 2018, my dedicated fraud detectives arrested over 900 individuals for insurance fraud. Through our work, we are determined to protect Floridians by bringing scam artists to justice for their crimes."

CFO Patronis' fraud detectives received a tip regarding a high volume of claims Clarkson submitted for medical treatment at Gulf Coast Hospital from September 2015 to January 2018. Detectives discovered that, while Clarkson had only been seen twice by hospital medical providers, she allegedly submitted an additional 34 fraudulent health insurance claims requesting reimbursement for services she never received. As a result, Clarkson received additional claim payments totaling $70,546.12.

Clarkson turned herself in to CFO Patronis' fraud detectives on April 17 and was transported to the Lee County Jail without incident. Clarkson faces charges of organized scheme to defraud, grand theft and insurance fraud. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in prison.