Insurance Fraud in Florida

Insurance fraud covers a wide range of criminal behavior. Insurance fraud can be perpetuated by nearly any individual who has any sort of involvement in the claims process, from the patient, to the medical doctor, to a car accident victim, to an auto body shop, to a claims adjuster, to a person receiving a life insurance policy, to a person who commits arson in order to defraud their homeowner’s insurance company. Insurance fraud is any action taken by an individual with the intent to fraudulently obtain payment from an insurer. If you are under investigation for insurance fraud, contact a Miami criminal defense attorney without delay.

The Coalition against Insurance Fraud estimated that in 2006, there was a total of approximately $80 billion lost in the United States due to insurance fraud. According to the Insurance Information Institute, insurance fraud accounts for approximately 10 percent of the insurance industry losses and loss adjustment expenses. It is estimated that approximately 10% of the total of health care expenditures in the United States is attributed to fraud, amounting to $115 billion annually.

The State of Florida Cracks Down Hard on Fraud

In the state of Florida, most forms of insurance fraud are prosecuted as felonies, which mean a minimum term of 1 year in a Florida state penitentiary. The state of Florida has a division called the Department of Financial Services Insurance Fraud (established by the legislature in 1976), which acts as a law enforcement agency. The division investigates suspected insurance fraud scams based on referrals they receive from other state agencies, insurers, consumers and other corporate entities. In Fiscal Year 2008/2009, the agency was responsible for more than $34 million in court ordered restitution. Additionally, according to 2008 statistics, the state of Florida ranked among the top four states with fraud divisions. In 2008, the state of Florida ranked 2^nd in the number of arrests, 3rd in the number of cases presented for prosecution and 4 ^th in the number of referrals.

If you are under investigation for insurance fraud, contact a Miami insurance fraud lawyer from Hager & Schwartz, P.A. immediately. It is essential that you retain the service of an experienced criminal defense attorney at the onset of your investigation in order to protect your legal rights and your freedom.

Contact a Miami insurance fraud attorney from our firm for a free initial consultation.