Florida PIP Fraud
recently released a 30-page sealed indictment filed in US District Court and the allegations related to PIP fraud are startling.
Felix Filinger, Andrew Rubinstein, and Olga Spivak were charged with a total of seven counts, including conspiracy to commit racketeering activity; conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and health care fraud; conspiracy to launder monetary means; and four counts of making false statements relating to health matters.
allegedly formed and operated a criminal enterprise for the purpose of defrauding insurance companies out of millions of dollars by taking advantage of the are Florida's No-Fault Personal Injury Protection (PIP) laws
Under Florida law, insurers are required to provide PIP to the insured named on the insurance policy, insured relatives living in the same household, persons operating an insured motor vehicle, and pedestrians or bicyclists impacted by the insured's vehicle , who suffer physical injury. [See Fla. state. §627.736(1)]
The rationale behind the law is to provide victims with prompt access to medical care after an accident, regardless of who caused the collision.
If injured Floridians need medical care without extortion, the courts are not filled with minor cases and can instead focus on more serious cases.
Under the law, reimbursement for services provided by medical providers is limited to a maximum of $10,000 if a licensed medical professional determines that the accident victim has an emergency medical condition (EMC). An EMC is defined as "severe pain that endangers the patient's health or impairs the patient's physical function".
Florida attorneys Filanger, Rubinstein, Olga
allege PIP fraud. Indictment, which began sometime in 2010 and lasted until their arrest, Filanger, Rubinstein, Olga, and others conspired and bilked insurance out of approximately $23 million.
Succeeded in defrauding companies “by obtaining maximum amounts of PIP funds by: (1) establishing and operating chiropractic clinics/rehabilitation facilities; (2) using nominees; (3) soliciting patients; (4) using facilities Fraudulently submitting documents showing ownership; (5) billing for unnecessary and/or inflated treatment modalities regardless of medical necessity; and (6) misrepresenting the patient's injury and pain level; ... to [then] legalize criminal proceeds derived from enterprise activity, ... among other criminal activities".
According to prosecutors, Filinger and Rubinstein would allegedly recruit people who had access to confidential traffic crash reports, such as tow truck drivers and body shop workers, to send accident victims to rehab clinics that were located throughout the South Florida area. owned and operated.
Fla. state. §316.066 Makes automobile accident accident reports confidential and free of charge, revealing the identity, home, or employment telephone number or home or employment address, or other personal information relating to the parties involved in the accident for a period of 60 days after the accident report . is filed. There are a few exceptions.
In return, Filzer and Rubinstein would pay these "runners" kickbacks, which the indictment alleges, anywhere from $500 - $2,500 per patient.
The indictment alleges that "the co-conspirators agreed that, regardless of medical need, patients should receive treatment at medical clinics for a specific number of visits for unnecessary or inflated treatment modalities [so that] ] so that the co-conspirators could obtain the maximum payment under the patient's auto insurance policy (PIP), and so that the co-conspirator's corrupt attorney could attempt to obtain higher settlements from the insurance companies from upcoming bodily injury lawsuits.
66 year old of Lake Worth Attorney Jason Daly was among those charged in connection with the fraud scheme.
Others involved include Richard Yonover and chiropractor Linda Varisko, who face a maximum of five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.
Filer, Rubinstein,and fraud charges, could face up to sixty years in prison as well as a fine of more than one million dollars if convicted.
racketeeringfor, 866-481-4691
pip fraud GEICO Lawsuit Against 411 Pain
This lawsuit is similar to a complaint filed by GEICO against 411 Pain in Florida Middle District Court on November 27, 2017.
In that case, GEICO seeks to recover "more than $15,000,000 that defendants wrongfully obtained from GEICO by depositing, and for depositing, thousands of fraudulent uninsured insurance fees".
As in the criminal case, GEICO alleges that 411 PAIN's owner, Robert Levine, used his 411 PAIN referral service to funnel accident victims into his large network of chiropractic offices.
Once customers were being treated by Levin's medical clinics, GEICO alleged that Levin and his co-conspirators "performed fraudulent protocols designed solely to enrich defendants financially, rather than to treat or otherwise for the benefit of those insured who were allegedly subject to them".
Within the same lawsuit, GEICO also alleges similar illegal activities as noted above including illegally engaging personal injury clients with attorneys.
In the 411 PAIN lawsuit, the law firms Landau & Associates and The Law Offices of Kanner & Pintaluga; as well as personal attorneys Todd Landau, Howard Kanner and Eric Pintaluga as defendants.
The complaint accuses him of participating in, conspiring with, aiding and abetting his co-defendants.
GEICO claims that the injured party will call 411 PAIN and will then either be referred to the Path Medical Clinic or will be referred to Kanner & Pintaluga or Landau & Associates, who will then refer their new client to the Path Medical Clinic for treatment.
Will send This process is known as a self-referral and is illegal. The lawsuit goes on to claim that Path Medical provided clients to Landau & Associates and Kanner & Pintaluga so that they could pursue PIP billing complaints that generated massive attorney fees for the firm.
In the end, the whole mess appears to be a system in which clinics refer lawyers, and lawyers in turn refer clinics, while both parties receive millions of dollars by defrauding the PIP system.
Although no criminal charges have yet been filed in the GEICO v. 411 PAIN case, the indictment of Filenger, Rubinstein, and others involved in that alleged conspiracy tired Robert Cash Levine and other professionals involved in similar activities from the coming charges. Could ,
If you Pain 411 and other attorney referral servicesare interested in learning more about
Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Attorneys, PA
(727) 451-6900