As detailed by CBS12, Florida’s Department of Financial Services Criminal Investigations Division (CID) announced the arrests of five individuals in connection with an alleged staged motor vehicle crash scheme designed to fraudulently collect insurance payments in Miami-Dade County.

The investigation was triggered after an insurance company flagged a suspicious one-car crash in which a vehicle struck a tree. CID agents launched a formal investigation and ultimately obtained confessions from two of the suspects, who admitted the crash had been pre-planned and deliberately staged. Three of the individuals were employed at a Miami physical therapy clinic, where they allegedly obtained blank treatment forms and submitted fraudulent claims for services that were never rendered. In total, investigators estimate the scheme resulted in approximately $30,936.80 in stolen insurance payments. 

Each suspect faces charges tied to billing insurers for injuries that never occurred, and officials say each could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The case will be prosecuted by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia made clear that this type of fraud will not be tolerated, stating: 

“Staged crashes are dangerous schemes that put innocent lives at risk at the expense of someone’s financial gain. These criminals who tried to exploit the system for their own greed will face repercussions for their actions. There is no room for fraud in Florida, and there is no room for criminal illegal aliens. My investigators will continue to identify and arrest these fraudsters.”

This case is a textbook example of the kind of coordinated insurance fraud that drives up premiums for every law-abiding driver in Florida and across the country. When bad actors stage accidents and submit fraudulent medical claims, the costs are passed directly to consumers. Policymakers at every level should take note: cracking down on this type of abuse is not just a law enforcement priority — it is a consumer protection imperative. PACT urges lawmakers to continue supporting the commonsense legal and insurance reforms that make it harder for these schemes to thrive and easier for honest Floridians to afford coverage.