MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The owner of a physical therapy clinic in southwest Miami-Dade’s Westchester area and five others are facing a series of felony charges in what authorities are describing as a staged crash insurance fraud scheme. It came as part of an “undercover operation” by state authorities.
According to an arrest report and public records, Nancy Cajuso, 46, of southwest Miami-Dade, owns Millennium Rehabilitation Center at 7815 Coral Way.
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Additionally, police have arrested physical therapist Ilana Suarez-Castillo, 52, of Miami Beach, and Lemuel Guerra, 44, of southwest Miami-Dade.
Also facing charges are Modesto Marias-Crespo, 58, Francisco Crespo-Sevilla, 51, and Miguel Mendez-Linares, 52; their names, charges or mug shots did not show up in Miami-Dade jail or court records as of Thursday evening.
The Florida Bureau of Insurance Fraud investigated the case, which involves at least one confidential witness.
Its investigators said Marias-Crespo first tried to stage a crash on Sept. 19, 2023, but was having trouble finding an at-fault vehicle.
Undeterred, authorities said he managed to stage a wreck at Southwest 87th Avenue and West Flagler Street on Sept. 28. He instructed those involved on what to do.
Crespo-Sevilla was the at-fault driver while Mendez-Linares and the confidential witness were in the other, the report states.
The next day, authorities said the confidential witness met with Marias-Crespo, Mendez-Linares and Guerra at the clinic.
The report states that Guerra instructed the witness on how the process was going to work and told the witness and Mendez-Linares that they would “have to come to the clinic at least a couple times a week to their show faces.”
Cajuso is accused of giving the two medical paperwork and 40 blank therapy forms to sign, despite the fact that no actual therapy would be performed.
Later, authorities said Suarez-Castillo would explain to the witness how the physical therapy machines worked “just in case the insurance company would call him.”
The phony visits lasted no more than 15 minutes a piece, authorities said.
Between the witness and Mendez-Linares, the scheme netted more than $37,000 in payments from Nationwide Insurance for 37 billed clinic visits.
Cajuso, Guerra and Suarez-Castillo were arrested Thursday and are each facing two counts of solicitation of false insurance claims, two counts of organized scheme to defraud and one count of second-degree grand theft.
Guerra is additionally facing charges of patient brokering and money laundering.
Cajuso and Suarez-Castillo remained jailed on a $5,000 bond as of Thursday evening; Guerra was being held on a $13,500 bond.