Jeff Atwater: Miami-Dade Pair Charged in PIP Fraud

A pair of Miami-Dade men collectively face up to 340 years in jail after being charged with fraudulently billing more than $1.5 million in personal injury protection claims to insurance carriers, the office of Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced Friday.

Robbie N. Chamoun, 30, and Nazih Boulos Chamoun, 74, owners of Sky Imaging in North Miami Beach, have been accused of operating an unlicensed accident clinic and grand theft.

The Chamouns were arrested as part of a joint investigation by the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Investigators allege that between Jan. 1, 2011, and March 20, 2012, the Chamouns owned and operated Sky Imaging without the appropriate licensure from the Agency of Health Care Administration. The investigation alleged that the Chamouns enlisted a licensed medical professional to sign AHCA paperwork and pose as the owner of the clinic, fraudulently exempting Sky Imaging from AHCA licensure requirements and concealing the true ownership of the clinic, the release from Atwaters office stated.

It never ceases to amaze me the great lengths fraudsters will go to circumvent the law and steal the hard-earned money of honest Floridians, Atwater stated in a release. My office will continue to crack down on these unlicensed clinics that set up shop for the sole purpose of committing fraud.