If you are charged with insurance fraud, it is important that you contact a criminal defense attorney in Miami Dade who has experience in defending individuals against charges of this nature.  Insurance fraud investigations often involve a large amount of documents and witnesses.  The sooner that you contact a criminal defense attorney in Miami Dade to represent you, the sooner he or she can start lodging your defense.

Insurance fraud is generally defined as intending to injure or deceive an insurer by presenting it with a statement in support of a claim that the party submitting the claim knows to be false or to contain misleading information.  A statement may be oral or written, such as a notice, invoice, estimate of repair, diagnosis or medial record.

Insurance fraud is a serious crime in Florida.  Prosecutors may zealously pursue these charges due to the potentially significant economic impact that these crimes may cause.  Insurance fraud may be based on any form of insurance, including:

• Healthcare insurance
• Automotive insurance
• Property insurance
• Life insurance

Many cases involving insurance fraud are based on the submission of false claims.  A person may intentionally destroy or hide his or her property in order to collect insurance proceeds.  A healthcare provider may bill for services it never provided.  In other situations, a true loss did occur, but the insured individual may exaggerate the claim in order to collect a greater amount of insurance proceeds.  Lying or omitting information on an insurance application can also potentially result in criminal charges based on this conduct.

The potential penalties a defendant faces depend on a number of factors, including the amount of money involved.  For example, if the value was between $20,001 and $100,000, the defendant may be charged with a second degree felony.  This carries a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.