At a press conference today in Miami, Florida's Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater joined Miami-Dade County State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle to announce the results of Operation Dark Horizon, the largest Personal Injury Protection (PIP) bust since the CFO took office in January. The Miami-based investigation by Florida's Division of Insurance Fraud resulted in the arrests of 17 individuals including a clinic owner, doctors, clinic employees and staged accident recruiters. Eight additional individuals have been charged and are being sought by investigators.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, on average Floridians pay an additional $100 for two cars in the driveway to cover auto insurance fraud. According to CFO Atwater, “If you multiply that by the 11 million cars in our state it amounts to a nearly billion dollar fraud tax.”

The 25 individuals charged so far in Operation Dark Horizon face 142 various charges including racketeering, staging an accident, insurance fraud, grand theft and organized scheme to defraud, and now collectively face up to 1,115 years in jail. Those charged with staging an accident face a minimum mandatory sentence of two years in prison, if convicted on the charge, and up to 30 years in prison if convicted of organized scheme to defraud. Additional arrests are anticipated.