Fla. CFO Patronis Announces Four Arrests in Miami for PIP Fraud

MIAMI, Florida, May 15 -- Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis issued the following news release:

Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced the arrest of four individuals including, Maria Campos, Isabella Mendez, Madison Martinez, and Krystal Arbona for their role in an alleged Personal Injury Protection (PIP) fraud scheme. The four allegedly had the intention to defraud United Auto Insurance Company, Responsive Insurance, and Infinity Automobile Insurance Company, by exploiting the PIP benefits associated with their auto policies for financial gain.

CFO Jimmy Patronis said, "If you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. PIP Fraud drives up auto premiums. It's stealing from all of us, and as Florida's CFO, I have made it my top priority to tackle insurance fraud and ensure that fraudsters like this are put behind bars. Special thanks to our Criminal Investigations Division, Bureau of Insurance Fraud detectives for their dedication and commitment to protecting Florida consumers."

An investigation by the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) Miami Field Office revealed that Arbona, Mendez, and Martinez were involved in a vehicle accident, with no reported injuries, on June 29, 2022, in Miami-Dade. The following day, all three went to a physical therapy clinic and met with therapist Maria Campos who gave them numerous blank physical therapy forms to sign. The trio visited the clinic on multiple occasions to sign additional therapy forms despite never receiving a single treatment. Based on their actions, fraudulent claims were submitted to various insurance companies. The total amount billed for all three subjects was over $37,000.00, with United Automobile Insurance Company paying the clinic approximately $10,000.00 in PIP benefits.

All four individuals were arrested and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Center in Miami on charges of Insurance Fraud and Grand Theft. The Miami-Dade Office of the State Attorney is prosecuting the case, and if convicted, each defendant faces up to 10 years in prison.

Please Note: In legislation recently signed by Governor DeSantis, the Division of Investigative and Forensic Services has been renamed the Criminal Investigations Division or "CID."

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About CFO Jimmy Patronis

Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis is a statewide elected official and a member of Florida's Cabinet who oversees the Department of Financial Services. CFO Patronis works each day to fight insurance fraud, support Florida's firefighters, and ensure the state's finances are stable to support economic growth in the state.

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Original text here: https://myfloridacfo.com/news/pressreleases/press-release-details/2024/05/14/cfo-jimmy-patronis-announces-four-arrests-in-miami-for-pip-fraud