Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement today announced the arrest of a Naples couple in connection with a drug diversion scheme fueled by Medicaid fraud. According to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and FDLE investigation, Francisco Calderon, 53, and his wife Zulima Calderon, 51, trafficked more than $3.9 million of contraband prescription drugs between 2005 and 2013.
“This massive scheme to sell millions of dollars’ worth of contraband prescription drugs and exploit our Medicaid program has been shut down thanks to the great work of my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, my Office of Statewide Prosecution and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement,” said Attorney General Bondi.
“Medicaid fraud cases are complex and time consuming and I appreciate the hard work of the investigators on this case,” said FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen. “The Calderon’s not only stole money from taxpayers, they are also responsible for tens of thousands of illegal prescription drugs flooding the streets in the Southeastern United States.”
The Calderons did not have a license to engage in wholesaling pharmaceuticals and allegedly used their Florida-based corporation, All Technician Specialty, Inc. to launder money from the sales of contraband pharmaceuticals to a previously charged co-defendant Jorge Castillo. In 2013, authorities arrested Castillo for involvement in the scheme and Castillo is now serving 25 years in prison. For more information on Castillo’s sentencing, click here.
According to the investigation, the couple used illegal profits to purchase homes in Naples and Miramar for hundreds of thousands of dollars each. At the time of the arrests, Attorney General Bondi’s Office seized the Miramar property pursuant to Florida’s civil racketeering laws.
Francisco and Zulima Calderon each face one count of trafficking in contraband prescription drugs, Medicaid fraud, organized scheme to defraud and money laundering, all first-degree felonies. Each count is punishable up to 30 years in prison. Attorney General Bondi’s Office of Statewide Prosecution is prosecuting the case.
The Calderons are the 37th and 38th persons charged or convicted since 2010 by the Attorney General’s task force targeting Medicaid-related drug diversion. Since 2010, the task force has seized close to $10 million in cash and property and more than $7 million of contraband pharmaceuticals off the streets. Additionally, task force investigators assisted law enforcement efforts in similar cases in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and Puerto Rico. The combined amount of fraud perpetrated by these individuals in Florida is estimated to be more than $250 million.
The Florida Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates and prosecutes providers that intentionally defraud the state’s Medicaid program through fraudulent billing practices. Medicaid fraud essentially steals from Florida’s taxpayers. From Jan. 2011 to the present, Attorney General Bondi’s MFCU has obtained more than $689 million in settlements and judgments. Additionally, the MFCU investigates allegations of patient abuse, neglect, and exploitation in facilities receiving payments under the Medicaid program.
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Arrest Made in Connection to Multistate Cargo Theft Ring
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Office of Statewide Prosecution and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement today announced an arrest in connection to a cargo theft ring that stole semi-trucks and trailers with various cargo from areas in Georgia and Florida. The stolen property included beer, energy drinks, refrigerators and power tools, totaling more than a million dollars in losses.
“Members of this multistate theft ring are charged with stealing more than a million dollars’ worth of cargo, and then illegally selling the property,” said Attorney General Bondi. “Thanks to the great collaboration between my Office of Statewide Prosecution and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, stolen goods have been recovered and those responsible will be held accountable.”
“Our investigation uncovered a massive cargo theft ring operating in multiple states,” said FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen. “I’m pleased with the work of our agents in dismantling this theft ring and recovering over a million dollars’ worth of stolen items.”
Authorities today arrested William Shepard Ellison, 70, owner of Shep’s Chicken and Auction House and Shep’s Discount Store. According to the investigation, three defendants stole semi-trucks, trailers and cargo and transported the property to Ellison’s two Jacksonville businesses. Ellison then allegedly offered the stolen property for sale. Authorities served search warrants for both businesses and Ellison’s home that resulted in the seizure of thousands of stolen items.
Two additional defendants involved with this operation are in custody and one defendant is still at large. Pedro Fernandez Hernandez, 47, is currently in the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections; Lewis Dominguez, 33, is currently in federal custody on unrelated charges; and Juan Carlos Castaneda Quintana, 45, of Broward County, remains at large.
The defendants face a range of charges including racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and grand theft. The Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution will prosecute this case. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated the case.
FDLE Agents arrest caseworker on official misconduct, falsifying records
Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Vanessa Arias, 33, of 1355 Springfield Street, Kissimmee, on charges of official misconduct and falsification of records.
Arias is a former employee with Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services, a sub-contractor of the Department of Children and Families. She was assigned as a caseworker.
During an investigation, FDLE agents found that Arias documented she had visited a home in Kissimmee on January 8, 2015, to check on the welfare of several children. She reported the children were “free from any visible signs of abuse/neglect with all their basic needs being met at this time.” Approximately a week later, officers with the Kissimmee Police Department went to the home regarding a report of child neglect. It was later determined that Arias had falsified her report and had not returned more than a dozen calls from two of the children in the home.
“This is a sad case of vulnerable children reaching out to someone in a position to help them, but instead they were ignored,” said Special Agent in Charge Danny Banks of FDLE’s Orlando Region. “Thankfully, law enforcement was called and an investigation was launched.”
Arias was booked into the Osceola County Jail on Friday on a $2,000 bond. The Office of the State Attorney, 9th Circuit, will prosecute.
FDLE arrests woman for organized travel fraud scheme
FDLE agents arrested Maria Constanza Shults, 62, of 10834 Rutherford Court, Jacksonville, on one count of organized scheme to defraud in excess of $50,000, where she sold pilgrimages to religious sites, then canceled the trips without refunding the victims’ money.
“Preying on people’s religious faith to defraud them will not be tolerated and my Office of Statewide Prosecution will aggressively prosecute this case,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “Thanks to a great partnership with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, this travel fraud scheme has been shut down.”
FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen said: “Fraud can take many forms and in this case, it preyed on the trust of unsuspecting Florida citizens. FDLE is committed to fighting this crime and I am grateful for the hard work of our agents and the diligence of the Office of the Attorney General.”
Throughout 2015, Shults proposed trips to Catholic parishioners to holy sites in countries such as Israel, Italy and Portugal. Shults collected payments averaging from $2,500 to $7,000 from the victims and then canceled the trips without refunding the victims’ money. Through its investigation, which began in September 2015, FDLE identified 27 known victims throughout multiple circuits in North and Central Florida with a total loss of over $106,000.
Shults was arrested on Friday and booked into the John E. Goode Detention Facility, Jacksonville, Florida.
The case will be prosecuted by the Office of Statewide Prosecution, Jacksonville.
Winter Park man arrested on 23 charges of child pornography possession
Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested David Allen Hall, 63, of 2872 Euston Road, Winter Park, on 23 charges of possession of child pornography.
FDLE agents executed a search warrant at Hall’s residence and found 23 images and videos of child pornography. Some of the children appear to be as young as 7 years old.
Hall was booked into the Orange County Jail and is being held without bond. The Office of the State Attorney, 9th Circuit, will prosecute.
FDLE arrests man for travel reimbursement fraud
Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Doug Landry, 37, of 28855 Old CC Road, Albany, Louisiana, on one count of organized fraud over $50,000, related to a fictitious over billing scheme.
In 2015, Landry orchestrated an elaborate fraudulent scheme based on his work-related travel expenses. He created fictitious reimbursement receipts, incorporated fraudulent companies, and provided fictitious receipts to his employer, a company located in Pensacola. The company’s accounting department reimbursed Landry for approximately $152,000 from 2015-2016. Landry also utilized his own company, Reign Industries in Louisiana, to further his fraudulent activities in Florida.
FDLE began its investigation in October 2016 with assistance from the Escambia County State Attorney’s Office. Landry was arrested today by FDLE agents and the Louisiana State Police and booked into the county jail located in Hammond, Louisiana, Tangipahoa Parish.
The case will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, 1st Judicial Circuit.
FDLE arrests mobile device consultant
Inspectors with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested FDLE government operations consultant John Leland Goelz on charges of grand theft and organized scheme to defraud. Investigators believe Goelz, in his capacity as the agency’s mobile device consultant, purchased cell phones for himself and his family using FDLE’s mobile device contract.
FDLE began investigating Goelz after a member reported not being able to get an older cell phone upgraded. As part of its mobile device contract, FDLE is eligible for a certain number of mobile device upgrades at discounted rates each year. Goelz purchased 10 mobile devices for his personal use that should have been used to upgrade FDLE member phones. By using FDLE’s contract, he was able to receive steep discounts on the phones he purchased. The value lost to the agency was nearly $5,000.
FDLE is in the process of upgrading its procedures to ensure no changes are made regarding FDLE mobile phones without supervisory oversight. Goelz, who was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Leon County Jail, is in the process of being terminated from FDLE.
The Office of the State Attorney, 2nd Judicial Circuit will prosecute this case.
Insurance Company Employee Arrested for Stealing $1 Million from Employer
Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater today announced the recent arrest of Jennifer Summerlott, a licensed Customer Service Representative, following a scheme that allegedly bilked her Ft. Lauderdale-based employer, Fairway Insurance Group, LLC (Fairway) out of more than $1 million. Summerlott is accused of orchestrating an elaborate scheme to defraud her employer through the use of fake insurance invoices to reroute company funds for her personal financial benefit.
Summerlott served as the accounts payable and commercial lines manager for Fairway from 2006-2015. In 2015, account irregularities were noticed by other Fairway staff members who, after suspecting that they might have uncovered insurance fraud, reported their findings to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. The case was referred to insurance fraud investigators within the Department of Financial Services’ Division of Investigative and Forensic Services (DIFS).
The subsequent investigation revealed that between 2010 and 2015, Summerlott allegedly created and submitted dozens of fake electronic invoices that were supposedly from various insurance companies that regularly conducted business with Fairway. Summerlott would then prepare company checks tied to Fairway’s company account to pay these fabricated invoices. Doing so enabled Summerlott to retrieve the fake payments and divert them to a personal bank account.
In addition, DIFS’ investigation found that Summerlott refinanced 40 insurance policies that Fairway clients had previously paid in full. As a result, Fairway received checks from third-party financing agencies to cover the cost of the insurance premiums. Summerlott used those payments to cover up the massive company losses that accrued as a result of her fake invoice scheme.
Summerlott was arrested February 27, 2017, and transported to the Broward County Jail. She has been charged with four first-degree felonies, including organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, criminal use personal ID and diverting insurance trust funds.
This case will be prosecuted by the Broward State Attorney’s Office, 17th Judicial Circuit. If convicted, Summerlott faces up to 30 years in prison.
FDLE Agents arrest St. Lucie corrections deputy sheriff on contraband charge
Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Ingrid Yearby, a corrections deputy sheriff with the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, on introduction of contraband into a correctional institution.
Yearby is the wife of James Yearby, who was arrested last week on a contraband charge at Martin Correctional Institution (MCI).
An investigation revealed that Ingrid Yearby tried to arrange a bank scam that would deposit $875,000 into her bank account. She had communicated with an inmate via text and voice at MCI. The inmate told Ingrid Yearby that he had access to an overseas dead person’s account. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office assisted FDLE in the case.
Ingrid Yearby was booked into the Martin County jail and bond was set at $5,000. The Office of the State Attorney, 19thCircuit, will prosecute.
FDLE Agents arrest Orlando man on 12 counts of child pornography
Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement today arrested Adalberto Delgado-Martinez, 40, of 5846 Dolphin Drive, Orlando, on 12 counts of child pornography.
FDLE Agents with the Cyber Crimes Task Force conducted an investigation and found that Delgado-Martinez used a computer device to download and collect digital files depicting children under the age of 18 engaged in sexual acts. A search warrant yielded an external hard drive, which was located in the top dresser drawer in Delgado-Martinez’s bedroom. During a forensic preview, several digital videos, some including children as young as 7, were found.
Delgado-Martinez was booked into the Orange County jail with no bond. The case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office, 9th Judicial Circuit.
