MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A former Miami-Dade County school bus driver was arrested Tuesday on accusations that she collected about $50,000 after filing numerous fraudulent insurance claims.
Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis announced the arrest of Shawanna Latisha Aaron on Wednesday.
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According to a news release from his office, the case stems from an ongoing investigation in which 12 other school bus employees in Miami-Dade County were arrested in June 2019 for allegedly defrauding Aflac Insurance Company of more than $426,000.
“As your CFO, I am committed to holding those who look to defraud Floridians accountable and it is especially reprehensible when criminals use the personal information of their dependents in fraud related schemes,” Patronis said in a statement. “Fraud increases insurance rates for families across Florida and I appreciate the continued hard work of my fraud detectives to bring scam artists to justice.”
According to Bureau of Insurance Fraud detectives with Patronis’ Division of Investigative and Forensic Services, Aaron filed more than 10 fraudulent insurance claims from October 2016 to July 2018.
Authorities said she submitted medical records and billing documents in support of the claims to show that she or her dependents were injured, obtained medical treatments and were billed for such treatments.
However, detectives said they discovered that the claim documents had been altered and that no treatments or billings had occurred.
Detectives said Aaron confessed to the fraud after being confronted with the evidence against her.
She turned herself in to authorities on Tuesday and was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on charges of making false and fraudulent insurance claims, organized scheme to defraud and grand theft.
If convicted, she could face up to 40 years in prison.
Aaron’s arrest comes months after she was arrested for allegedly crashing into a car and then leaving the scene, while her 15-year-old son was still inside her vehicle.
The crash occurred over Labor Day weekend and she was taken into custody in November.
At the time, Miami-Dade County Public Schools officials confirmed that Aaron had been employed with the school district for 14 years.