Trial Opens For Brothers Accused In $3M Accident Scheme

Sept. 23--WEST PALM BEACH -- The owner of the Rumbass nightclub and his brother bilked insurance companies out of an estimated $3 million while running a bogus health clinic in Lake Worth that specialized in "treating" people involved in staged traffic accidents, a federal prosecutor told a jury Tuesday.

The brothers, Janio and Jharildan "Harold" Vico, described by their attorneys as hard-working entrepreneurs, are the latest to stand trial in U.S. District Court in connection with a lucrative scam that has sent dozens to prison in South Florida.

While the Vicos' attorneys insisted that the two provided top-notch care to crash victims, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Cohen said there was nothing legitimate about V & V Rehabilitation Center, which the brothers operated on 10th Avenue North, near Boutwell Road, from 2009 to 2011.

They recruited people to be involved staged accidents, Cohen said during opening statements. Those involved in the fake crashes would then seek treatment at the clinic for phony injuries. Under the state's no-fault personal injury protection insurance laws, insurers must pay up to $10,000 for injuries sustained in traffic accidents.

A star witness during the two-week trial is expected to be Jennifer Adams, who voluntarily relinquished her license to practice chiropractic medicine in 2013 after she pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was sentenced to 54 months in prison in connection with a similar scam at other Palm Beach County clinics.

Adams allowed the brothers to use her license to operate the clinic, Cohen claimed in court papers. The arrangement was needed because, under a roughly 10-year-old Florida law, only state-licensed health care workers can operate clinics. Otherwise, owners have to get separate licenses.

Defense attorneys Sam Montesino and Humberto Dominguez said the brothers had the clinic licensed through the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration so they had no need to use Adams. "Doctors will tell you that the clinic was run perfectly and the treatment was well-handled," said Dominguez, who represents Janio Vico, 31, who owns Rumbass, a club on Military Trail in suburban West Palm Beach.

Both attorneys told jurors to weigh testimony from Adams and others carefully. "Every witness the government will present ... was intimidated, biased or is looking to get themselves out of jail by helping the government," said Montesino, who represents Jharildan Vico, 33.

Both Vicos face 16 charges, including money laundering and mail fraud. The most serious charges are punishable by a maximum 20 years in prison.

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