JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – A brazen scheme to cheat Florida’s workers’ compensation system and exploit vulnerable, potentially undocumented, construction workers has landed three individuals in federal court. Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow today announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Orlando residents Anyi (“Angie”) Artica-Romero (31), Joaquin Mejia-Murillo (62), and Milton Noel Romero (34) with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Artica-Romero faces a staggering 56 counts, while Mejia-Murillo and Romero are charged with 1 and 6 counts, respectively. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
The operation, according to the indictment, revolved around two shell corporations: JM Construction Services, Inc., registered by Mejia-Murillo, and Milton Statewide General Services, Inc., registered by Romero. Mejia-Murillo initially secured a workers’ compensation policy for JM Construction, claiming a modest $140,800 payroll. That quickly ballooned to $410,800, yet the premiums remained significantly understated. This wasn’t about legitimate business; it was about creating a facade to “rent” insurance coverage to other contractors who were deliberately avoiding their legal obligations.
Artica-Romero and Mejia-Murillo then allegedly “rented” JM Construction’s policy – and later, Romero’s – to a network of contractors and subcontractors employing hundreds of workers, many of whom are suspected of being undocumented aliens. They provided certificates of insurance as false proof of coverage, while simultaneously funneling payroll through their companies. Contractors wrote checks to JM Construction and Milton Statewide, which were cashed by Mejia-Murillo and Romero, with the money then distributed to the workers after Artica-Romero skimmed a hefty four percent fee. Between September 2015 and March 2017, the trio processed a mind-boggling $20.3 million in payroll checks, pocketing a combined $812,000 in illicit fees.
The scheme was a complete disregard for the law. Florida mandates workers’ compensation insurance for all construction work, and subcontractors *must* prove coverage. Crucially, no state or federal payroll taxes were ever withheld from the workers’ paychecks, leaving them vulnerable and the government shortchanged. A legitimate workers’ compensation policy for the actual payroll of $20.3 million would have cost an estimated $2.8 million – a sum the defendants avoided entirely, shifting the risk onto the workers themselves.
The scheme began to unravel in August 2016 when the Florida Department of Financial Services issued a Stop-Work Order to JM Construction after discovering the payroll discrepancies. Mejia-Murillo fled to Honduras, but Artica-Romero simply partnered with Romero to continue the operation under the Milton Statewide banner. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of the $812,000 the defendants allegedly reaped from their illegal activities. This is just the beginning; expect further investigations into the contractors who knowingly participated in this cynical exploitation.
An indictment is a formal accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, the evidence laid out in the indictment paints a clear picture of a calculated and callous scheme that put profits over the safety and well-being of workers and flagrantly violated state and federal laws. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as it unfolds.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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