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Fraud in SoFla: Pills, Staged Crashes

U.S. Attorney's Office

The latest haul of 33 arrests brings the total so far to 92 charged in Operation Sledgehammer, a joint state and federal investigation of staged car accidents that brought in $20 million, the South Florida Sun-Sentinelreports. 

The scammers trained medical professionals and clinic owners to defraud insurance companies, then fled to Cuba when authorities closed in, according to the press release from the U.S. Justice Department. At least 21 chiropractic clinics in South Florida were involved in the scam, the release said.

In a separate case of health fraud, Dr. Stephen G. Anthony has pleaded guilty to prescribing large amounts of oxycodone to patients who didn’t need it at a Fort Lauderdale pill mill, Broward Urgent Care, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.