Fort Lauderdale Residents Arrested for PIP Fraud Following Staged Accident

The Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Insurance Fraud announced on Monday the arrests of Kendrick Callins and Lashaunda Gibbs of Fort Lauderdale.  The pair has been accused of staging an auto accident for the purposes of personal injury protection insurance fraud.

The investigation by the Dept. of Insurance Fraud, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other local law enforcement agencies, revealed that the two had allegedly organized and participated in a staged accident that occurred in September of 2012.

Callins and Gibbs are also thought to have recruited other participants, who intentionally drove a rented moving truck into a passenger vehicle owned by the pair.  Following the collision, fraudulent insurance claims were submitted to their respective insurers who paid the claims.  Both Callins and Gibbs each face a maximum sentence of 25 years for their part in the fraudulent activity.

PIP insurance, while extremely important and valuable to South Florida drivers, is also an area of insurance that has been hailed as potentially ripe for fraud.  While there has been some alleged fraud committed against insurance companies in the past regarding PIP coverage, it has been in significant decline over the last several years, which is great news for Florida residents.

For further information or discussion on this topic or any other, feel free to contact the Schulman Law Group at (954) 349-3300 or at info@www.schulaw.com