Five Florida attorneys and five of their accomplices are accused in a patient-brokering scheme that brought in more than a half-million dollars in profits.
Broward Sheriff's officials said in a news release that the arrests were made Sept. 6 following a two-year investigation by the Organized Crime Unit.
The investigation revealed that several personal injury attorneys were paying people to unlawfully solicit unsuspecting vehicle accident victims to make insurance claims for damages or personal injury benefits.
Investigators say the attorneys paid the solicitors on a per-client basis, and then referred the accident victims to a health care facility in exchange for cash kickbacks of $1,500 to $2,500 per patient.
Each suspect faces numerous charges, including organized fraud, criminal solicitation and patient brokering.
Officials say the group received more than $521,000.
