A 13-month probe into a string of suspicious car crashesculminated yesterday in the arrest of 12 individuals, including aCape Coral, Fla.-based physician.

Authorities believe the “dirty dozen” were bilking insurers outof $22.5 million a year in yet another scheme designed to takeadvantage of Florida's oft criticized personal injury protection(PIP) system.

According to the federal indictments, the accused helped carryout “Operation Whiplash,” whereby certain clinics billed forexaggerated or non-existent medical services. Moreover, clinicsallegedly employed talent scouts to find willing actors toparticipate in orchestrated crashes and then visit clinics—or atleast sign forms to attest that they had—allover Florida.

Initial suspicions about these odd traffic patterns gave way toa full-blown investigation and a sting operation involvingundercover agents who posed as participants wanting in on theaction. The investigation, believed to be the largest of its kindin southwest Florida, led to a police raid of two of the presumed31 clinics involved in the scheme: Xtreme Care and the C&AFamily Rehab Center, both in Cape Coral, Fla. The president ofXtreme Care, Dr. Stephen M. Lovell, was one of the 12apprehended.

One might assume that these undeserved profits were fuelinglavish lifestyles. However, as authorities explained at amulti-agency press conference on Thursday, purchases made by theaccused were surprisingly mundane.

“The expenditures were going all the way from purchases atMcDonald's to cruises,” said Josh Silko, the Cape Coral policedetective who headed the investigation. “They weren't living lavishlifestyles, purchasing houses or real expensive cars, but it wasevident that they were profiting from this to live their everydaylives.”

Charges against the defendants range from health care fraud tomoney laundering, with possible sentences of 20 years for eachcharge. This substantial arrest underscores the vulnerabilitiescreated by the state's current PIP system. In light of the recent legislative session, there is hope that schemes such as“Operation Whiplash” will one day become the anomaly and not the norm.