A group of four Floridians were arrested for staging a December 2022 auto accident and falsely documenting the incident with Miami-Dade police, according to the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS).
Abel Vera, Nancy Mercedes Pena, Yuniesky Betancourt and Maura Perez were arrested April 12, 2024, on charges of staged accident, insurance fraud, organized scheme to defraud and grand theft, DFS reported.
Investigators with the Florida Division of Investigative and Forensic Services compiled evidence, including accident reconstruction and data from the vehicle’s event data recorder, indicating the incident did not occur as it was reported to the insurance company and police.
The scam’s overarching goal was to abuse the personal injury and protection benefits of a Kemper Insurance auto policy, the financial services department reported.
Following the alleged accident, all four participants sought treatment and physical therapies for injuries they claimed were caused during the incident. Kemper was billed more than $61,000 for these treatments, paying out over $22,800.
“It doesn’t matter how clever you think your scheme may be, if you commit fraud in Florida, you will be caught and brought to justice,” Jimmy Patronis, Florida CEO and State Fire Marshal, said in a release. “Staging accidents is incredibly dangerous and fraud like this costs every Floridian in the form of higher auto insurance premiums.”
The four alleged scammers face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty on all charges, DFS reported.
Each year, insurance fraud costs consumers and businesses $308.6 billion, according to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. Auto insurance fraud accounts for about $7.4 billion of that annual total.
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