The Miami police announced Tuesday that it has arrested three individuals in connection with an ongoing investigation into insurance fraud in the area.
Doctor Angel Amado Lazo, therapist Clara R. Segura, and front desk worker Arlene Hernandez Garcia were taken into custody—the result of an operation that began nearly a year ago by the police department’s Staged Accident Detail.
On Monday, a search warrant was carried out at Brothers Medical Center, 3990 W. Flagler St., Suite 201, where the three were apprehended. Officials said that all three individuals are facing multiple charges, including insurance fraud.
The
Sun Sentinel reported that an officer going undercover paid a visit to the clinic as part of the operations, claiming he had been in a car crash and needed therapy.
“He was told to fill out a bunch of papers and [he] never came for any kind of therapy,” Officer Rene Pimentel told
CBS Miami.
“There wasn’t any type of treatment whatsoever, they were just billing the insurance companies for services not rendered,” the undercover patient said.
The undercover patient revealed that his insurer was billed thousands of dollars.
“This is something that goes on, time and time again,” the undercover patient explained. “This type of clinic—to be honest with you—is an epidemic. It’s happening all over the country. And it’s something that’s affecting everybody. It’s affecting our insurance rates, it’s affecting everything.”
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