Fla. CFO Patronis Announces Arrest in $30,000 Miami Insurance Fraud Scheme

Targeted News Service (Press Releases)

MIAMI, Florida, May 20 -- Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis issued the following news release:

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced the arrest of Jon Roa-Fontaine on two counts of Insurance Fraud, two counts of Grand Theft, one count of Organized Fraud, and one count of Uttering a Fraudulent Instrument. An investigation by the Division of Investigative and Forensic Services (DIFS) revealed that John Roa-Fontaine submitted fraudulent receipts to defraud Castle Key Indemnity Company, subsidiary of All State Insurance and Homesite Insurance Company, for a combined amount of $30,756.91.

CFO Jimmy Patronis said, "If you attempt to get away with insurance fraud in Florida, you will be caught and brought to justice. Insurance fraud drives up rates for every single one of us and we will not tolerate bad actors who attempt to game the system to line their own pockets. Any attempt to commit fraud in our state will be stomped out by our fraud detectives, who work tirelessly to crack down on waste and abuse. Thank you to the DIFS detectives and the Miami Dade State Attorney's Office for their help on this fraud case."

Roa-Fontaine reported a burglary theft at his residence to the Hialeah Police Department on January 19, 2022, stating that his power tools were missing, totaling $2,047. He then proceeded to call and report a homeowner renters insurance theft claim of his camera equipment, which were valued at over $15,000 to Castle Key Indemnity Company. However, the insurance company received photos, bank statements, and invoices from Roa-Fontaine decreasing the aggregate value to $8,700 for camera equipment from Adorama Camera Inc., plus another invoice from B&H Photo-Video-Audio camera and equipment valued at $14,354. Through the course of the investigation, contact was made with Adorama Camera Inc. and B&H Photo-Video-Audio, both of which indicated the receipts that were submitted were fake. Additionally, bank records indicated that the bank statements were altered to validate the purchase transactions. Subsequent investigation revealed that Roa-Fontaine reported a prior claim on March 2, 2021 through Homesite Insurance Company, saying his child had spilled water which damaged his laptop and camera on his desk. In this instance, he submitted more fraudulent invoices and bank statements in support of his Apple computer with a valued amount of $7,702.91.

In total, Roa-Fontaine's actions, including the submission of fraudulent invoices and bank statements to multiple insurance companies, would have led to him collecting a total amount of $30,756.91 in insurance compensation. John Roa-Fontaine surrendered to detectives on May 17, 2023 at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison.

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