Established by the legislature

Legislature

A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

 in 1976, The Division of Insurance Fraud is the law enforcement arm of the Department of Financial Services

Florida Department of Financial Services

Florida Department of Financial Services is a state agency of Florida. Its headquarters are in Tallahassee. In 2002 the Florida Legislature merged the Department of Insurance, Treasury and State Fire Marshal and the Department of Banking and Finance into one department, the Florida Department of...

 and is responsible for investigating insurance fraud

Insurance fraud

Insurance fraud is any act committed with the intent to fraudulently obtain payment from an insurer.Insurance fraud has existed ever since the beginning of insurance as a commercial enterprise. Fraudulent claims account for a significant portion of all claims received by insurers, and cost billions...

; crimes associated with claim fraud, insurance premium fraud, workers' compensation

Workers' compensation

Workers' compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her employer for the tort of negligence...

 claim fraud, workers’ compensation premium avoidance and diversions, insurer insolvency

Insolvency

Insolvency means the inability to pay one's debts as they fall due. Usually used to refer to a business, insolvency refers to the inability of a company to pay off its debts.Business insolvency is defined in two different ways:...

 fraud, unauthorized insurance entity fraud and insurance agent crimes. The law enforcement detectives of the Division of Insurance Fraud also investigate viatical

Viatical settlement

A viatical settlement is the sale of a life insurance policy by the policy owner before the policy matures. Such a sale, at a price discounted from the face amount of the policy but usually in excess of the premiums paid or current cash surrender value, provides the seller an immediate cash...

 application fraud, defalcation

Defalcation

A defalcation is an amount of funds misappropriated by a person trusted with its charge; also, the act of misappropriation, or an instance thereof...

s of escrow

Escrow

An escrow is:* an arrangement made under contractual provisions between transacting parties, whereby an independent trusted third party receives and disburses money and/or documents for the transacting parties, with the timing of such disbursement by the third party dependent on the fulfillment of...

 funds held in trust by title insurance firms, and non-Medicaid

Medicaid

Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...

 related health care

Health care

Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...

 fraud.

According to a 2007-2008 report from the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud (CAIF), Florida’s Division of Insurance Fraud leads the nation in the recovery of insurance fraud related losses through court order

Court order

A court order is an official proclamation by a judge that defines the legal relationships between the parties to a hearing, a trial, an appeal or other court proceedings. Such ruling requires or authorizes the carrying out of certain steps by one or more parties to a case...

ed restitution. In Fiscal Year 2008/2009, cases presented for prosecution by The Division of Insurance Fraud resulted in more than $34 million in court ordered restitution. According to the Coalition's 2007-2008 statistics, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 ranks in the top four (4) among all states’ fraud divisions and bureaus in key measurements of success:

• 2nd in the number of arrests
• 3rd in the number of cases presented for prosecution
• 4th in the number of referrals

Florida’s Division of Insurance Fraud continues to lead the fight against insurance fraud under the leadership of Colonel John Askins. During Fiscal Year 2008/2009, investigative efforts by The Division of Insurance Fraud resulted in 982 cases presented for prosecution, 834 arrests, and 532 convictions. Also during Fiscal Year 2008/2009, The Division of Insurance Fraud received and reviewed 12,084 insurance fraud referrals and opened 1,971 cases for investigation.

Florida Division of Insurance Fraud