The story is all too familiar, especially in Florida, a state riddled with abuse of its personal injury protection (PIP) system: Recruit volunteers to help orchestrate auto accidents. Direct the “victims” to a preferred clinic to treat their purported “injuries.” Bill insurers for services either never rendered or grossly inflated. Then collect proceeds to be divvied amongst participants.

That's the recipe David Rodriguez Lopez, the owner of a now-defunct massage therapy clinic in Jacksonville, followed until time—and the law—caught up with him. Of course, the 46-year-old didn't bank on the next steps: arrest, conviction and sentencing. But that's exactly what happened after a Florida court convicted Lopez of schemes to defraud more than $50,000, filing false insurance claims exceeding $100,000, and knowingly participating in an intentional motor vehicle crash.

Lopez worked as the behind-the-scenes owner of Indian Rehabilitation Center, Inc. (IRCI), a licensed massage therapy clinic located in Jacksonville. The clinic was in operation from March 2012 until October 2012, when the state attorney's office and Florida's Division of Insurance Fraud shut down it down. By then, IRCI had billed insurers for $228,000.

According to a press release issued by the state attorney, Lopez participated in a fraud scheme involving 30 people. Along with four cohorts, he staged an auto accident and subsequently filed a PIP claim for which IRCI received $35,000.

During the course of the investigation, authorities learned that it was Lopez who controlled IRCI's bank accounts, and that he had instructed a straw owner about deceptive practices and how to go about bilking insurers.

After spending six months searching for Lopez, authorities found him at a secluded fish farm outside of Tampa. Having been found guilty of the charges against him, Lopez will now serve a 15-year prison sentence.

Special Reports /

Former Clinic Owner Gets 15 Years for Defrauding Fla. PIP System

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