Miami, FL – Anthony Dorta, a Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue Department (MDFR) Fire Specialist 1, commonly referred to as a Fire Inspector, was recently arrested as a result of a joint investigation by the Miami-Dade County Office of the Inspector General (OIG); the State of Florida’s Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud (DFS/DIF); and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office (SAO). Dorta, who has been with the County for almost six (6) years, was charged with one (1) count of Filing a False and Fraudulent Insurance Claim, a third degree felony, in violation of Florida Statute ยง 817.234. The joint investigation revealed that Dorta, while receiving workers’ compensation for an on-the-job injury, worked as a handyman and falsely filed a report claiming he had not received other compensation.
Dorta received over $143,000 in total workers’ compensation benefits for an on-the-job injury to his left knee that occurred in January 2011. Dorta was unable to work and collected workers’ compensation benefits from January 2011 until October 2013. There was a brief interruption in benefits, from February through October, 2012, when Dorta resumed full-time work. However, due to the same injury, he was again unable to work and resumed collecting workers’ compensation benefits until October 2013.
The joint investigation uncovered that Dorta, while unable to perform his duties as a Fire Inspector at MDFR and while receiving workers’ compensation benefits, was working as a handyman. Dorta was required to file a monthly report of any income received from “any person, firm or company” while receiving unemployment compensation. Although Miami-Dade County is selfinsured and workers’ compensation claims are handled by the County’s Risk Management section, Dorta’s reports were required to be filed with DFS. Dorta’s unreported self-employment was discovered by the OIG while investigating a different fraud perpetrated by former MDFR Code Enforcement Officer Jeffrey Lowman. Lowman, who ran his own fire inspection consulting business, submitted fraudulent affidavits of compliance to the County resulting in the removal of accrued penalties owed the County. Lowman was arrested in November 2013, and is currently awaiting trial on multiple felony counts.
While investigating Lowman, the OIG uncovered that Dorta received several checks from Lowman’s independent consulting company. The joint investigation found that in addition to his fire inspection consulting business, Lowman also did handyman work as a side business. Dorta was identified as Lowman’s handyman assistant. In particular, the OIG investigation found that Dorta completed such jobs as painting houses and repairing interior walls as Lowman’s assistant. On one occasion, an MDFR co-worker, while conducting a fire inspection of a business, saw Dorta painting the floor of an adjacent warehouse.
The joint investigation uncovered that Dorta contracted for and performed several handyman repairs at a business for which he was compensated directly. Dorta, during those repair jobs, received workers’ compensation benefits and falsely reported to DFS/DIF that he did not receive any other earnings.
“The honesty of all government depends on the individual integrity of our public officials, such as Fire Inspector Anthony Dorta. Mr. Dorta betrayed the public’s trust by committing insurance fraud,” observed Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. “I commend our partners in this investigation, the Miami-Dade County Office of the Inspector General and the State of Florida’s Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud for their efforts in fighting insurance fraud and working to keep our local government honest.”
“We have a continued commitment to working with our local partners investigating dishonest public servants whose behavior erodes the public trust in Miami-Dade County,” said Mary Cagle, Inspector General of Miami-Dade County.
The OIG would like to thank the employees of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department for their assistance and cooperation during the course of this investigation.
Source: Miami-Dade OID