Fla. CFO Patronis Announces Two Arrests for Workers' Compensation Fraud in Miami-Dade County

MIAMI, Florida, Jan. 27 -- The Florida Department of Financial Services issued the following news release on Jan. 26, 2024:

Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced the arrest of Juana Ledezma and Luis Ledezma for Workers' Compensation Premium Fraud and Grand Theft for allegedly concealing payroll to avoid paying a higher workers compensation premium. An investigation revealed that during the policy period, the Ledezmas would have been assessed an additional $127,660.00 in premium charges.

CFO Jimmy Patronis said, "Workers Compensation fraud is a costly crime that endangers Floridians and hurts honest business owners. As CFO, I remain committed to fighting fraud and ensuring that criminals who break the law are brought to justice. I want to thank my fraud detectives for working this case and brining these alleged criminals to justice."

An investigation was conducted by the Department of Financial Services, Division of Investigative & Forensic Services, Bureau of Workers' Compensation Fraud, which revealed that the owner of Superior Group Management Inc, Ms. Juana M. Ledezma and Mr. Luis I. Ledezma actively concealed payroll to avoid paying a higher workers' compensation premium. In 2020, Ms. Ledezma applied for worker compensation coverage with Clear Spring Insurance Company, with an annual estimated remuneration for the policy year would be $500,000. Based on the provided information, a traditional workers' compensation policy was issued with a premium of $31,294.

The investigation revealed that the Ledezmas on behalf of Superior Group Management Inc, failed to notify the insurance company of significant payroll changes. Detectives were able to determine during the policy period, Ledezmas actually collected over $2,6 million for labor costs paid from contractors to their company.

According to Clear Spring Insurance Company, had the additional payroll been reported, Superior Group Management would have been assessed an additional $127,660 in premium charges.

On January 12, 2024, Juana M. Ledezma was arrested and on January 16, 2024 Luis Ledezma was arrested and booked in the Miami- Dade County Jail where they were charged with Workers' Compensation Premium Fraud and Grand Theft. All are first degree felonies and if convicted on all charges, they each face up to 60 years in prison.

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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/2024/01/26/cfo-jimmy-patronis-announces-two-arrests-for-workers-compensation-fraud-in-miami-dade-county