Three accused of staging Fort Lauderdale crash to collect insurance

(from left) Leslie Martinez, Claudio Boyett, and Claudia Hoy are accused of staging an auto accident in Fort Lauderdale to collect on an $80,000 insurance claim (Broward Sheriffs Office, courtesy / June19, 2014)

Three people are accused of staging a crash in Fort Lauderdale to collect $80,000 from an insurance company, according to arrest records.

Claudio Boyett, 44, Leslie Martinez, 45, and Claudia Hoy, 31, all of Fort Lauderdale, are facing grand theft and insurance fraud charges. Boyett was arrested Wednesday; Martinez and Hoy were arrested last week, Broward jail records show.

On Aug. 7, 2012, a U-Haul truck struck a Dodge Caravan in the parking lot of the Pare De Sufrir church, 4080 SW 18th St., according to a report from Florida's Division of Insurance Fraud.

Martinez was at the wheel of the Caravan that was carrying Hoy and six other passengers; Boyett was driving the U-Haul that struck the van, the report said.

Martinez, Hoy and Boyett sought medical treatment and filed an $80,000 personal injury protection claim with United Auto Insurance, according to insurance company investigators.

One witness told investigators she was offered $1,500 for the use of her Caravan. Another witness admitted the accident was staged, insurance company officials said.

Insurance fraud from staged accidents has been so widespread that the FBI and state authorities launched Operation Sledgehammer three years ago. Investigators have identified about $20 million in fraudulently obtained payouts.

So far, about 100 people have been charged in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties. Some of those convicted have been ordered to pay $5 million in restitution to insurers, authorities said.

According to a study by the nonprofit National Insurance Crime Bureau, fraudulent claims from staged crashes have been falling since Florida's PIP laws were reformed during the past two years.

There were 712 claims filed in 2012 for accidents that appeared to be staged; there were 328 questionable claims in 2013, the study found.

Source: Sun Sentinel