TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - One woman is behind bars and facing a litany of charges after allegedly defrauding state agencies out of nearly $2 million.
Briana McCarthy allegedly approved fraudulent property damage claims while she was employed with the Florida Department Financial Services as a Risk Management Program Specialist.
Arrest papers said she also recruited other people into the scheme and altered or submitted fake documents for them.
Documents show McCarthy processed 224 suspicious claims, some of them for people she knew personally spanning from 2021 to 2024.
Over 200 of the suspicious claims were missing required documents, according to the arrest report. Nearly 80 claimants didn’t have a vehicle registered in Florida when the incident allegedly happened.
In addition, 45 did not have a driver license or did not own a vehicle in Florida, and altered registrations were submitted in 23 claims, according to arrest documents.
The investigation claims McCarthy used Department of Transportation and Department of Risk Management files to change information and create false claims.
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Some suspected false documents, including altered vehicle registrations, were found inside McCarthy’s desk, according to the arrest papers.
Investigators also noted that many of the fraudulent claims were “processed unusually fast.” The arrest report details that 48 fraudulent claims were processed the same day they were received. In contrast, investigators say the...
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