Six people have been arrested in connection with an investigation into staged car crashes and insurance fraud in Miami-Dade, authorities said.
The arrests are part of "Operation Crash and Cash," a Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office investigation begun this past November after authorities received a tip from an insurance provider about a suspected staged crash.
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WATCH HEREDetectives were able to determine that the suspects had pre-signed blank therapy forms, which were later submitted to insurance carriers to fraudulently claim treatment, the sheriff's office said.
Two people were initially arrested on Feb. 24, 35-year-old Enrique Brioso Cribes and his wife, 53-year-old Mary Brioso.
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According to arrest reports, the pair had reported they'd been involved in a crash after colliding with a deer, but investigators determined the damages to the vehicle weren't consistent with a crash into a deer.
Both sought out medical treatment and Brioso Cribes sought out nearly $9,000 in property damages, but neither received any treatment, the reports said.
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Insurance companies were ultimately billed over $28,000 for medical treatment they never received, the reports said.
The investigation continued and more suspects were identified, including people associated with a medical clinic and an auto body shop believed to be participating in the scheme, authorities said.
On Wednesday, the sheriff's office executed multiple search warrants and arrested four more suspects.
They include Armando Mesa-Lazaga, 56; his brother, 60-year-old Elvis M. Mesa-Lazaga; Sergio Fernandez-Alfonso, 40; and Rolando Romero, 38.
According to arrest reports, the two Mesa-Lazaga brothers, who ran the auto body shop, facilitated the staged crash involving Brioso and Brioso Cribes after causing fake damages to a vehicle used in the crash.
Fernandez-Alfonso, a therapist and clinic owner, and Romero, a therapist, had the couple sign blank therapy forms that were submitted to the insurance company, the reports said.
The suspects were booked into jail on charges including insurance fraud/staged accidents, grand theft, organized scheme to defraud, making a fraudulent or false insurance claim, and racketeering.
NBC6 has tried to get in contact with the body shop and therapy business but has been unsuccessful.
Authorities said the investigation remains open.
