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Chiropractor Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud in Staged Accident Scheme
Dr. Aaron Freedlander, a 50-year-old chiropractic doctor from Weston, Florida, has pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges in connection with a staged automobile accident scheme and fraudulent chiropractic clinic scheme. The scheme, which occurred between October 2006 and December 2012, resulted in the theft of millions of dollars from Florida’s automobile insurance companies and Florida drivers.
According to court documents, Freedlander, along with three other defendants, Abner Llenderrozo, Daviel Castro Martinez, and Elias Munguia, conspired to commit mail fraud and money laundering. The defendants staged automobile accidents and caused the submission of false insurance claims through chiropractic clinics they controlled.
The true owners of the chiropractic clinics, including Munguia, recruited individuals to act as “nominee owners” of the clinics. Members of the conspiracy, including Castro Martinez, served as recruiters, finding individuals to participate in the staged accidents. The defendants also hired complicit chiropractors and therapists, including Freedlander and Llenderrozo, who prescribed and billed for unnecessary treatments and/or for services that had not been rendered.
The scheme involved 21 clinics and resulted in the theft of millions of dollars from Florida’s automobile insurance companies and Florida drivers. Starting with Operation Sledgehammer I in June 2011 and including the defendants charged in Operation Sledgehammer VI, 92 defendants have been charged for their participation in this automobile insurance fraud scheme.
Freedlander faces up to 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, substantive mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and substantive money laundering. He has also agreed to pay $2,000,000 in restitution to the victims of the offenses, beginning with partial payments totaling $33,750 at the time of sentencing.
The sentencings for all four defendants will occur at a later date to be set by U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra in West Palm Beach.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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