Insurance scam nets 14 arrests

NAPLES — State officials arrested 14 people they allege staged fires and water damage inside 18 homes in Naples, Lehigh Acres and Miami-Dade County to collect insurance money.

“These devious acts of fraud hurt all Floridians by driving up the cost of insurance, which takes money out of the pockets of hard-working, law-abiding Floridians,” says Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, in a statement announcing the arrests.

The arrests included two public adjusters: Jorge Fausto Espinoza Sr. and Carolina Esponosa. State investigators charged that they and a dozen others defrauded nine insurance companies of $7.6 million.

The 13 cases of arson were staged to resemble electrical, kitchen and vehicle-related fires occurring within the home or garage, while those involving water damage blamed flooding on water-supply lines or clogged sewer lines. The public adjusters instructed homeowners how to file fraudulent insurance claims, the state alleges.