CFO Patronis Announces $300,000 Property Insurance Fraud Arrest in Miami
MyFloridaCFO, April 11, 2023
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced the arrest of Damacio Green on one charge of Filing a False and Fraudulent Insurance Claim for his alleged involvement in a property insurance fraud scheme to defraud Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Citizens) out of more than $300,000.
CFO Jimmy Patronis said, "In the state of Florida, when you try to game the system for your own personal gain, you will be caught and brought to justice. Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime, it drives up costs for all Floridians and contributes to the issues surrounding Florida’s strained property insurance markets. Huge thank you to my fraud detectives and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office for their hard work in this case and working every day to keep Florida fraud free."
Sr. Director of Citizens’ Special Investigations Unit Joseph Theobald said, “Insurance fraud continues to be a growing problem affecting all Floridians. Most of all, honest policyholders end up paying higher premiums to counteract the cost of fraud. We are grateful for the collaborative relationship with the Division of Investigative and Forensic Services for their tireless effort to combat insurance fraud.”
In March 2021, Green filed a homeowner property insurance claim with Citizens alleging damage to his home in Miami Gardens. This damage was alleged to have occurred in February 2021, as a result of back up and overflow in the kitchen and bathrooms which was said to have resulted in cracked tiles and a bad smell. Green provided a sworn proof of loss in the amount of $79,978.59 in property damage. However, inspection of the property by Citizens adjuster revealed that preexisting damages occurred prior to the policy inception of July 11, 2020.
Further investigation by the CFO’s Division of Investigative and Forensic Services (DIFS) revealed that Green allegedly misrepresented the condition of the property when the policy inception occurred in 2020. Additionally, it was determined that Green provided false or misleading facts about the property under oath. Finally, investigation revealed that since 2007, Green has collected more than $302,000 in combined property insurance payments, with $196,400 in claims payments since 2015. It’s alleged that Green knowingly omitted and lied about prior homeowner's insurance claims information on his homeowner's insurance application with Citizens on July 11, 2020. Furthermore, Green filed a homeowner claim alleging new damages when the damages being reported were preexisting damages that he never disclosed to Citizens on the policy application.
Damacio Green was arrested on April 5, 2023, and transported to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. If convicted on all charges, he could face up to five years in prison.