Hillsborough wants to crack down on fraud from staged crashes

Hillsborough County is becoming a hotbed for insurance fraud involving staged auto accidents, and law enforcement is asking county government for help in fighting the crimes.

On Thursday, county commissioners took a first step, asking the county attorney's office to draft an ordinance to regulate on medical clinics that are often a key component of the fraud. The ordinance would allow the county to better track owners and screen employees.

Drivers and passengers involved in staged accidents are taken to the clinics, usually with no doctor on staff, and instructed on how to fill out paperwork to make insurance claims.

Commissioner Kevin Beckner, who has been working with the sheriff's office since July on the rising insurance fraud problem, said he hopes the ordinance will be as successful as the one commissioners passed last year to crack down on illicit pain management clinics, also known as "pill mills." The ordinance required the clinics to register with the county and have a licensed physician be responsible for all written prescriptions.

Staged accidents, he said, are "draining the pockets of the property casualty insurance companies and, ultimately, our citizens."

The fraudulent claims take advantage of loopholes in Florida's personal injury protection insurance, also known as "no fault."

All Florida drivers are required to carry the insurance, which entitles them to $10,000 in medical care for injuries received in an accident, no matter who's to blame. The staged accidents often involve multiple drivers and passengers so the criminals can collect the maximum from insurance companies.

"It's like a personal slush fund that the undesirables have access to by way of Florida's PIP insurance," said Ronald Poindexter, National Insurance Crime Bureau director in Tampa.

In 2009, the Tampa area surpassed metro Miami, once a national leader in staged-accident fraud. The Tampa area had 487 questionable claim accidents that year, according to the insurance crime bureau, compared to 258 in the Miami area.

Poindexter said the costs incurred by insurance companies is passed down to policy holders as a "fraud tax" of $86 per driver.

Sheriff's Maj. Donna Lusczynski said the agency assigned two detectives to work fulltime on this type of fraud, and last year undercover deputies successfully infiltrated two phony clinics.

"As of this date, we've charged over 74 subjects with insurance fraud, patient brokering and racketeering," Lusczynski said.

Poindexter and Lusczynski said the clinics and staged accident coordinators are part of extensive criminal enterprises that also deal in money laundering and human trafficking.

Commissioners should see a draft ordinance at their Feb. 2 meeting.

(813) 259-8303