{"id":6636,"date":"2014-10-14T15:34:21","date_gmt":"2014-10-14T22:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=6636"},"modified":"2014-10-14T16:24:45","modified_gmt":"2014-10-14T23:24:45","slug":"three-chiropractors-sentenced-roles-massive-auto-staging-accident-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=6636","title":{"rendered":"Three Chiropractors Sentenced for Their Roles in Massive Auto-Staging-Accident Scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"U.S.<\/a>FLORIDA<\/strong> – Three chiropractors were sentenced for their involvement in a massive auto staging scheme based in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties that defrauded insurance companies, officials said Tuesday.<\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge\u00a0Kenneth A. Marra on Tuesday sentenced Kenneth Karow,<\/strong> 54, chiropractor, of West Palm Beach, Hermann J. Diehl<\/strong>, 44, chiropractor, of Miami, and Hal Mark Kreitman,<\/strong> 50, former chiropractor, of Miami Beach.<\/p>\n

Karow was sentenced to 11 years in prison; Diehl was sentenced to nine years in prison; and Kreitman was sentenced to eight years in prison, authorities said<\/p>\n

After a six-week trial in April, jurors convicted the defendants \u2013 Kenneth Karow, 54, chiropractor, of West\u00a0Palm Beach, Hermann J. Diehl, 44, chiropractor, of Miami, Hal Mark Kreitman, 50, former\u00a0chiropractor, of Miami Beach, and Joel Antonio Simon Ramirez, 29, staged automobile accident\u00a0recruiter, of West Palm Beach \u2013 of multiple felony charges, officials said.<\/p>\n

The accidents were staged from October 2006 to December 2012 in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade\u00a0Counties.<\/p>\n

The joint federal and state law enforcement investigation, dubbed Operation Sledgehammer, has resulted in charges filed against 93 defendants for their participation in this automobile insurance fraud scheme. Of those 93 defendants, 57 have been charged, according to officials.<\/p>\n

This has resulted in court-ordered restitution of more than $11 million to the defrauded insurance companies, and 51 of those 57 defendants have been convicted by jury or by guilty plea. The remaining six defendants are fugitives. Another thirty-six defendants have been charged by the Palm Beach County State Attorney\u2019s Office, officials said.<\/p>\n

After the vehicle \u00a0accidents occurred, the defendants and co-conspirators would file false insurance claims through chiropractic clinics they controlled, according to officials.<\/p>\n

The owners of the chiropractic clinics recruited people who had medical or chiropractic licenses to\u00a0open a clinic and act as \u201cnominee owners,\u201d officials said.<\/p>\n

Officials maintain that the defendants, including Simon Ramirez, also recruited individuals, whom\u00a0they referred to as \u201cMacho\u201d and the \u201cHembra\u201d or the \u201cPerro\u201d and \u201cPerra,\u201d to participate in the\u00a0accidents, and others to help the clinics launder the insurance proceeds, authorities said.<\/p>\n

Chiropractors, including Diehl, Karow and Kreitman, and therapists prescribed and billed for\u00a0unnecessary treatments and\/or for services that had not been rendered, authorities said.<\/p>\n

Twenty-one clinics participated in this scheme, officials said.<\/p>\n

Federal officials say there are more than 7,000 insurance companies that collect more than $1\u00a0trillion in premiums each year. The cost for insurance fraud that is not health-related is estimated to\u00a0be more than $40 billion a year, officials said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FLORIDA – Three chiropractors were sentenced for their involvement in a massive auto staging scheme based in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties that defrauded insurance companies, officials said Tuesday. 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