Miami, FL – Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis recently announced the arrests of Jerson Geovanny Quiroz and Reyna Elizabeth Quiroz, owners of Quiroz Carpentry Corporate, for workers’ compensation premium fraud and grand theft for allegedly hiding payroll information to avoid paying more than $300,000 in workers’ compensation premiums.
CFO Jimmy Patronis said, “It is critical that Florida businesses carry the required insurance coverage for their employees. Having insufficient coverage is a serious crime that puts employees at risk, takes business away from reputable contractors, and raises insurance rates for businesses across the state. I thank my dedicated insurance fraud detectives for completing a thorough investigation. I am confident that the Office of Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle will work toward a successful prosecution in this case and hold these individuals accountable.”
An investigation by CFO Patronis’ Division of Investigative and Forensic Services (DIFS), Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Fraud revealed that the owners of Quiroz Carpentry Corporate knowingly misrepresented or concealed payroll to avoid paying a higher workers’ compensation premium. During the investigation, detectives discovered that the company cashed more than $1.9 million in labor for carpentry work instead of the $55,500 they had originally reported when obtaining their policy. Had the payroll been properly reported, Quiroz Carpentry Corp would have been charged a total of $307,636 in workers’ compensation premium. To date, Norguard Insurance has only collected roughly $7,500 in premiums. Quiroz Carpentry effectively avoided more than $300,000 in workers’ compensation premiums based on the owners’ alleged fraudulent actions.
Jerson Geovanny Quiroz and Reyna Elizabeth Quiroz were arrested on February 17, 2021 and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County. Both face charges of workers’ compensation premium fraud and grand theft. If convicted, they each face up to 20 years in prison. Individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Source: FL DIFS