Oh, My: Not ANOTHER Corrupt Crist Crony ...

Why is it when you round up and shake out the fraudsters in Florida around election time, you've got a great chance of winding up with a contributor to a Charlie Crist campaign?

Well, it's happened again. I'm sorry -- I don't make this stuff up.

When Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced the arrest today of attorneys, chiropractors and clinic employees involved in an organized personal injury protection (PIP) fraud scheme, who turned up in handcuffs but Boca Raton attorney and Crist good-buddy Cory Meltzer. Meltzer just contributed $1,000 to Charlie Crist's campaign for governor.

According to Atwater's press statement, the arrests made this morning in Martin, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties follow a year-long undercover investigation by the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Insurance Fraud.

Todays arrests are the culmination of more than a year of extensive and often dangerous undercover work that has exposed a crime ring responsible for potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraud, said CFO Atwater.

During the investigation, multiple undercover detectives were embedded into clinics that were accepting patients illegally solicited. One clinic in particular was billing for services that were never rendered. On several occasions, patients were also found being coached to claim they were injured when they were not.

Besides Meltzer, others arrested this morning include chiroprator Roger Hughes Bell, Hobe Sound; attorney Brian Greenspoon, Boca Raton; Alejandro Marin, Homestead; and Douglas Santiago, Boynton Beach. Individuals with warrants out for their arrest include Christina Savoye, Stuart; and chiropractor Ryan Grand, Lake Worth.

I know this is something we don't usually talk about. (Shhh. Being press, I'm expected to parrot the Rick Scott-HCA litany of shame.) But here's the problem: the Crist Crony Wing of federal prison is getting crowded. One more of the former governor's buddies in the slammer makes how many? I'm losing count.

Readthis story. Or this story.Or this story. Orthis story.In the words of Dr. Watson, "Disturbing pattern here, Mr. Holmes."