MIAMI – A 28-year-old man was arrested Monday after Miami police say he made an injury claim of over $13,000 for a vehicle crash he was never in.
An arrest report from the Miami Police Department states an investigation by the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Investigative and Forensic Services and Bureau of Insurance Fraud revealed that Sandy Reyes Martinez, of Miami, submitted a claim with United Automobile Insurance Company for a traffic crash that occurred on Sept. 28, 2023.
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Authorities said a recorded statement was obtained from Ulani Calle Hernandez, who stated that on the day of the crash, he was looking for an address on a one-way street, decided to back up and collided with a parked Cadillac.
The collision caused his vehicle to overturn and the Cadillac then collided with another parked vehicle. Hernandez confirmed that nobody was inside the parked vehicles at the time of the crash, the report stated.
A Miami police officer provided a statement confirming his response to the crash scene.
The officer said he recalled the incident and was able to review his body-worn camera video, which showed Hernandez’s vehicle backing up into two parked cars, one of which belonged to Reyes Martinez, resulting in the overturning of the vehicle with Hernandez still inside, according to the report.
Police confirmed that only Hernandez was present at the scene. He also left a copy of the driver’s exchange attached to the windshield wipers of the damaged parked vehicles.
An audio recording lasting 37 minutes captured Martinez and the owner of the third vehicle calling United Automobile Insurance Company on Sept. 29, 2023, to report the crash.
Hernandez claimed that Martinez’s vehicle was unoccupied and properly parked at his job. The owner of the third vehicle told police he was working in Port San Lucie when he was notified by their supervisor about the crash, the report stated.
Authorities said Reyes Martinez sought medical treatment from Maos Home Health Services Inc. 26 times for injuries allegedly sustained in the crash and the United Automobile Insurance Company was billed $13,399 for services he was not entitled to.
Jail records show Reyes Martinez is facing one count each of fraud and solicitation of false insurance claims and grand theft.
As of Monday, he was being held on a $2,500 bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.